Tangled Up
by TFK-fan118
Summary: The cliched coming of age story, starring Draco Malfoy, meets the skeptic mind of his mate. Besides the skepticism, she seems to be quite the dense little witch and she finds him unattractive, swatting away his attempts at affection. What's a Veela to do?
1. Fated

"Now that you've come of age, we have something very important to discuss with you…"

She had known today was not going to be a good day. Although, she was officially sixteen when the clock struck 12:54—her birth time and date, she just knew that this birthday wouldn't be the same as others. Her first clue should have been when she fell out of bed this morning. Actually, that's what usually happens when she wakes up, only this time it hurt… a lot. The teen mentally scoffed, remembering the last time she had heard those words spoken to her.

Her dear, sweet parents had said those words to her… right before they told her she was a _witch_. At the time, she was eleven years of age. Most say that at that age, children would believe in anything. This saying did not apply to her. She argued with her parents and had even called them crazy people who need to go to the nearest psychiatric hospital. Even on the plane ride, she wasn't convinced of magic, and assumed that they were finally leaving America for a better place. Either that or mother finally got a promotion. That's what she had thought at the time. The only thing that had convinced her of _magic_ was being pushed through a concrete wall—that wasn't so concrete—so she could board the train to Hogwarts. However, even then, she was still doubtful about the whole witch and wizard thing. But back to the matter at hand…

The disgruntled Ravenclaw was currently sitting in the Headmaster's office. There was a slight frown on her face. To her right sat a popular person among the Slytherins. He was known as Dragon Malfoy. She noted that his blond hair wasn't slicked back with large amounts of hair like it was second year. She didn't really see him during third or fourth year, so she hadn't known what he looked like at that time. His grey eyes glanced at her a few times, but he would look away too quickly. She didn't have the chance to read them. To her, he appeared to be trying to contain something within himself. His nails dug into the fine leather material of the armrest. Either that or he was having terrible constipation problems, but she opted not to think about it. Behind him, there stood Severus Snape, looking as annoyed as she felt. Despite the aggravated look, his hand was placed on Dragon's shoulder in a comforting gesture. At least, that's what she thought it was. Looking closer, it appeared as if he was holding him down.

Well, he did make quite the spectacle at the Welcoming Feast. For some strange reason, he started screaming, drawing lots of attention to his table. Once he had stopped his attention getter strategy, he seemed to be searching around frantically for something. She even thought she saw foam coming from his mouth as if he were a mad dog. It took quite a few people to restrain him properly. No one was hurt, but it definitely scared a couple of the first-years. Many thought he'd been possessed.

Her brown eyes shifted back to the Headmaster, not caring for the teenaged Slytherin. Albus Dumbledore just happened to be the source of her displeasure at the moment. Not only had he requested her presence during her precious nap time, but that weird twinkle in his eyes had been bothering her ever since she stepped into his office. She had been called in right after the Welcoming Feast ended. Dumbledore leaned in. His fingers were laced together and he continued to stare at the Hogwarts student. She mentally sighed. She supposed she would have to say something to get him to keep talking.

"Yes, Headmaster, what is this _important_ something that we need to discuss?" Kylie Colman tried, in vain, to keep the sarcasm from her voice. She forced a smile on her face in order to cover it up. This only seemed to amuse the Headmaster. He cleared his throat. She noticed his eyes shift over to Dragon and Professor Snape for a moment before focusing on her again. Her fingers drummed against her armrest as she waited for Dumbledore to continue.

"Let me first start off congratulating you on your sixteenth birthday." He was stalling for some reason, Kylie realized frowning. She knew that the old man wouldn't have called upon her just to wish her a happy birthday. Something was up, and he was pissing of her with his beating around the bush manner. Despite her thoughts, she gave a nod. If she had spoken, who knows what would have come from her mouth. Sarah's bluntness was starting to rub off on her. Bluntness and sarcasm did _not_ go together. That combination had gotten her into trouble many times in the past. "It's a shame that your birthday happens to be today. I imagine most don't realize it because their too busy, considering it's the first day Hogwarts is open for the year."

It was getting extremely hard to keep the smile in place. The corner of her mouth twitched. "That it is." She chuckled a bit, but it was bogus. Her father had always taught her to grin and bear it, but as of now, she wanted to grab Dumbledore by the beard and give him a good shaking. Perhaps that would let him know how annoying this game of his was to her. "So… Why did you really ask for me? I'm sure it's not just to discuss the weather." Kylie crossed her arms, signifying that she was through playing games.

"Alright… Down to business, then..." His tone sounded almost disheartened and hesitant, further irritating the brunette. So he _did_ want to drag this out for a long as possible? The old man probably still hasn't forgiven her for calling him _eccentric_ last year. Well, he _was_! And how was she supposed to know that he was right behind her? He was most likely only doing this to annoy her. It was no secret that she didn't have much patience. "First, do you know what a _Veela_ is?" Kylie blinked. She had heard about them. There wasn't much information concerning them—hardly enough to think about it for more than five minutes. Kylie nodded to answer. Although she had given an affirmative answer, Dumbledore still felt it was needed to explain. "Veela are sensitive creatures who react to their mates in an animal-like way. Their instincts are near uncontrollable once they've realized who their mate is. It has been quite awhile since we've had both Veela and its mate in Hogwarts." The Ravenclaw bristled. She didn't need to know all of this. Get to the actual point, already! "Young Draco here-" He nodded towards the pubescent Slytherin. Dumbledore must have realized that the twitching of her upper lip was not an attempt to keep from smiling. "-has Veela blood in his veins. His Veela instincts have begun to take over since he has found his _mate_." Kylie's expression turned neutral. "His mate happens to be in this very school."

"And I care _because_…?" Her patience was beginning to run thin. Her finger tapped her covered bicep several times to try to stifle whatever anger that was beginning to bubble up. Merlin's beard, how long had she been here? She _really_ wanted to eat. "What does Dragon finding his mate have to do with me?"

"Draco." Snape was ignored by both Dumbledore and the Ravenclaw.

"Well, because… _you_ are his mate."

And just like that, Kylie's appetite disappeared.

"_Eh_…?" she squeaked, unable to gather up an intelligent response. Dumbledore smiled and repeated his earlier statement. He then had the nerve to congratulate her again. Her arms fell limply away from her chest. Her mouth dropped open and a look of disbelief replaced the blank expression. Kylie was vaguely aware that Dumbledore was talking again, but her ears did not hear what exactly was being said. She toned him out, completely drowned in her own thoughts.

Dragon Malfoy's _mate_…? Had the world gone completely insane overnight? She could have sworn that he was dating, or at least playing around with, Pansy Parkinson! And what was with this mate deal, anyway? When she had read about Veelas, the text said nothing about mates. It mentioned cross-breeding with humans, but nothing about animalistic instincts that consume them when they've found their mate. Even if that was true, the text had said that Veelas were _always_ female. Dumbledore had said that Dragon was part Veela—that part was plausible—but he shouldn't be having these weird animalistic urges!

This all had to be a joke. Kylie stared down at her lap, frowning. Now that she thought about it, the three other people in the room had been in some way or form offended by her. But she never thought they'd all retaliate against her—not like this! "Hold it!"

The teen's voice interrupted Dumbledore's speech. He, as well as Snape and Draco, turned startled gazes to her. The Ravenclaw slowly stood up from her seat. The Headmaster also stood, silently wondering what the teen's next move was. He had begun to think she was taking this matter a bit too well. The last time this happened, the intended mate wasn't exactly happy about the development and had shouted obscenities. He expected the same from Kylie Colman. It was known to all teachers how short her fuse was. But when the girl didn't do as he had thought, he assumed she was logically thinking about her situation. After all, she was in Ravenclaw. Now with her sudden outburst, he did not know what to expect. "Yes, Miss Colman…? Is there a problem?"

"Nani…?"

Snape resisted rolling his eyes. He knew from experience that whenever the teen shouted in a different language—the Japanese language if he remembered correctly—she was about to either deny, deny, deny or lie, lie, lie. It was a wonder why no other professor picked up on this. Luckily, they were only words, not phrases that spewed from her angry mouth. "There is no need to get fussy, Miss Colman." Her head snapped in his direction. Her brown eyes gave him a fierce stare. This made it a bit harder to restrain Draco.

"No need to get fussy…?" she repeated. "The worst prank is the world is getting pulled on me, and you don't think there's no need to get _fussy_?" Dumbledore and Snape exchanged confused looks. "You expect me to believe this? Well, I don't! There is no such thing as this! Dragon-"

"Draco," Snape once again corrected, but was ignored.

"-Malfoy is not Veela and I certainly not his _mate_!" She held up her index finger. "One, known Veelas are females, so unless Dragon-"

"Draco."

"-here has some forbidden secret he wants to share, then I don't think so! Two-" The teen held up another finger. "-even if he was a male Veela, the characteristics would probably nonexistent because the traits show up only in females. And three-" Another finger was raised. "-Dragon-"

"Draco."

"I don't _care_ what his name is!" Kylie glared in Snape's direction. "Anyway, and three, he wouldn't be interested in me in the first place! We've barely held a conversation before!" She pointed a dramatic finger at the Headmaster. "And to think that you'd actually try to trick an innocent and defenseless girl…! The very thought is intolerable!"

"_So it was deny, deny, deny, eh?"_ Snape thought, mentally shaking his head. He knew the situation would turn out like this. The girl was just too stubborn, cynic, and rude to accept it.

"Miss Colman, I assure you that what I speak is the truth. We wouldn't try to prank you of all things. On the contrary, having a Veela as a mate is considered to be an honor." Kylie's arm dropped. "Even as we speak, young Draco can hardly contain himself with his mate so close by."

Kylie arched a brow, and then turned around to face the Slytherin. Snape was now holding him with two hands instead of just one. Dragon, or Draco—honestly she really _didn't_ care—had his head down and was mumbling something. She figured it was hard for someone like him to play along with this sort of prank with an unknown someone like her. "_But still…!"_ She had to keep from snarling. She stomped over to his chair, causing the teenaged wizard to look up. Her face was inches away from his.

"Miss Colman, do you realize what you're doing?"

She glared up at her professor. "If he really is Veela then he should have no trouble seducing me, right? Veelas can seduce the opposite sex. I know this for sure." Her brown eyes moved back down to Draco's. Her hands gripped the armrest, trapping him where he sat. She leaned in a bit closer. "What are you waiting for? Seduce me with your Veela charms since you're obviously a Veela!" The three waited in anticipated silence. Full-blooded Veelas could seduce any man, but Dumbledore wasn't quite so sure it would apply here.

Draco breathed in and out. She was so close to him. He could feel her breath against his lips. He wanted to touch her, kiss her, and hold her. If Snape hadn't been keeping him down, he would have done so as soon as she walked into the room with her overwhelming scent. He could hardly breathe with her being this in close proximity to him. But at the same time, he felt at ease. If he would tilt his head just a bit, he was sure that their lips would touch. Shivers went through his body just thinking about it. "Mine…" he whispered.

"_Eh_…?"

"Mine!"

Kylie fell back with a yelp. She stared at the young wizard, completely mortified and slightly disgusted. "Did… Did he just _purr_ at me?" She pointed a shaky finger. The Ravenclaw trembled as she rubbed the goose bumps away. "This has gone _way_ too far! That was wrong on _so_ many levels!" She stood up and headed for the exit. "I'm going to go repress this memory now. Good day!" With one last exaggerated, disgusted shudder, the witch left with great haste.

"Well… This is sure to be more than a little tough."

"You don't say," Snape murmured, trying to keep Draco still.

"I suppose that… we'll have to leave this up to him."

"Albus…! You can't mean-" The Headmaster nodded his head. "That wouldn't be in the best interest—letting him loose. You know how Veelas can behave."

"We don't have a choice. Otherwise, that girl won't believe it. I believe young Draco will be able to handle it." The Headmaster sat back down. "Release him." Snape reluctantly did as he was told.

Draco Malfoy did not hesitate to leap from his chair.

0~0

"Don't ask, I won't tell, and that's final." Kylie sighed slowly as she fell onto her bed. Sarah Simmons shrugged, and then turned her green eyes back to the moon outside the window. In a mild tone, she commented something about the moon being made of cheese. Kylie turned on her back and let out another sigh. "What a creepy and terrifying joke…" She didn't know much about Draco Malfoy, but from what she did hear, he was a bit of an upper class snob. To think he would go as far as to participate in this just to humiliate her—it was maddening. But then again, it was also unexpected. If she hadn't been so smart, she surely would have succumbed to that ludicrous prank. The young witch covered a yawn before turning over. For the second time, she yelped in surprise. "Sarah!" The sixteen-year-old tilted her head. Her stoic face was mere inches away from hers. "Don't do that!"

Kylie placed a hand over her racing heart. It was a wonder why they were friends. Many thought that the girl who was quiet and nearly emotionless and the girl who showed many expressions and often ranted about the littlest things wouldn't get along, but the two witches had remained good friends since first year… surprisingly. It was more likely the fact that when they were alone together, Kylie would become quiet while Sarah rambled on about random things—i.e. the moon being made of cheese. "I have a new word for you." Sarah sat up straight on her friend's bed. Kylie sat up as well.

"Really…? What is it?"

"Metamorphous."

"… Sarah… are you aware that _that_ isn't a Japanese word."

"Yes."

"I don't need to know that. I thought you only told me Japanese words when you learn a new one."

"Why would you assume that?"

Kylie sighed heavily. She placed a hand on top of Sarah's head and ruffled her auburn hair. "Baka…!" Sarah only gave her friend a small smile as Kylie took her hand away. "Hey, what do you know about Veelas?"

"They're out to get us." Her answer was quick and to the point, but it only succeeded in confusing Kylie. "They are quite upset that their half-breed children are discriminated against when others find out about them being half-breed. They disguise themselves as humans, so they could destroy us from the inside out."

"I didn't want to hear about your wild conspiracies, Sarah." The teen sighed heavily. "Never mind, then." She laid back. Her brown eyes stared up at the ceiling. "I should just forget about it anyway."

The sound of a foot slamming against the wooden floor caught the attention of the two teens. Kylie blinked while Sarah turned her head. Someone cleared their throat. Really, it should have been a girl seeing as how this was the girl's dormitory. The brunette sat up and smiled. "_Ah_…! Cho-chan!" The fellow Ravenclaw member scowled at the happy tone in her voice.

"For the last time, I am not Japanese!" She scoffed lightly as she crossed her arms. "For someone who is so fascinated by Japan's society and culture, I'm surprised you can't tell the difference."

"Oh, I can tell the difference. It's just that I know that it irritates you." Cho bristled, knowing what she said was correct.

Kylie smirked cheekily at her rival. Yes, Cho Chang was definitely her rival. Back home, she was at the top of her class. She had surpassed all of the nerds in nearly every subject. But then she started going to Hogwarts, introducing her to a whole new class of intellectuals. Cho was the top ranked girl of Ravenclaw, so since the very beginning, she was thought of as a rival. Really, she wouldn't have cared about a silly rivalry, but on top of her smarts, she was also athletic, attractive _and_ popular. Kylie's lip twitched. It pissed her off just thinking about it. She had everything rolled into one. She was practically perfect! Someone like her couldn't possible compete with that. A person shouldn't have all those traits! However, she could beat her in something—and that was book smarts. It would be oh so sweet when she finally surpassed her academic-wise. Only then would she reclaim her title as the Grand-Daddy Master of School.

"Hey…! Are you listening to me?" Cho tapped her foot impatiently, snapping Kylie out of her daydream. She gave her a placid look, thus only infuriating Cho. "You didn't hear a word I said, did you?"

"No, no… Not really." She twisted one of her ponytails absentmindedly. "What did you say, Cho-chan?"

"Stop calling me that!"

"Alright, alright… Just tell me what you want, already."

"For some baffling reason, _Draco Malfoy_ would like to have a word with you." For her troubles, Cho received another blank look. She sighed exasperatedly, knowing Kylie would lose focus and have yet another mental rant at any moment. "Honestly, you don't know the Slytherin prefect? You are such a dobber heid!"

"That would probably be more insulting if I knew what that was," Kylie commented. She turned to her friend Sarah, who had been quiet since the new arrival. "But since I am but a mere ignorant American-" She turned to her friend. "-translation, please."

"I believe she called you an idiot." Sarah's somber voice generally struck a twinge of fear. Cho was no exception. She subconsciously took a step back. She had heard many rumors surrounding Sarah Simmons. For one, it was believed that she could look into your head and know what you were thinking—no spells or potions required. Another thing she heard about her was that she had somewhat of an empathetic ability. Though, the roles were reversed. She could make others feel what she wanted them to feel. For these reasons, many students stayed away from her.

"Excuse me, but you, Cho-chan, are not good at insulting people. You should take lessons." Cho's eyes shifted back to Kylie, who was nodding her head, agreeing with herself. She mentally scoffed. "Anyway, tell him I'm not here—please and thank you." She waved Cho off. She shook her head in disbelief.

"Draco Malfoy wants to talk to _you_ and you want me to send him off with a _lie_?" she asked. Kylie nodded her head a few times.

"Hai!"

"English! Use bloody English!"

"… Gomennasai." With an aggravated groan, Cho turned on her heel and left. Kylie smirked at her apparent win.

Sarah turned her eyes to her friend. A brow was arched in curiosity. "Draco Malfoy…?" She was a bit surprised when Kylie shuddered. She even looked disgusted. The dramatic teen grabbed both of her long ponytails and yanked.

"I'm still trying to repress that, so please don't say his name!" Kylie flopped back down on the bed, huffing loudly. Sarah shrugged, knowing the subject would turn up again in the form of a rant. By tomorrow morning, in fact, if she timed it right. An uncharacteristic smirked appeared on the witch's face for a moment. Perhaps it had something to do with Draco Malfoy making a arse of himself during the Welcoming Feast.

"_I imagine that things will finally be quite interesting."_

0~0

Draco paced back and forth outside the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room. He had sent some Ravenclaw girl to get Kylie Colman over five minutes ago. Did it seriously take that long? The teenaged Slytherin halted his movements and rubbed his temples. Another headache was beginning to form. He breathed out slowly. Honestly, he had not been prepared for this onslaught of raging emotions. It shouldn't have happened this quickly, or so he thought. He was under the impression that this change wouldn't take place until he had reached the age of seventeen, not sixteen. When nothing happened over the summer, he assumed that it would take another year. But apparently his intended mate was officially sixteen, too.

The young wizard covered his mouth to prevent a weird noise from coming out. The last time, it seemed he had disturbed his mate. He would have to be sure not to do that again. But just thinking about her brought on the intense desire to give into his Veela instincts. Draco mentally sighed as he let his hand fall to his side. Kylie Colman—he hardly knew her. However, this fact seemed to be irrelevant. His mind and body screamed for her.

He frowned, thinking back to the Welcoming feast. Oh, that had been embarrassing. He imagined that everyone in the Great Hall thought him to have gone mad. He was a Malfoy—a bloody Malfoy! His family was known for keeping calm even in the most desperate of situations. Draco was ashamed to admit that he'd lost all control. What would his father think of him he had saw that display? He felt like grimacing just thinking about the expression his father would make.

The effects of his adaptation came so suddenly that he couldn't think if he had tried. Even now he could barely remember what he had been doing. All he knew was that he had to find the one with the enthralling scent. Luckily, he had found and pinpointed who it had come from before Snape subdued him. Draco had to be restrained while Dumbledore explained what was happening to him, and even commented about why no one had ever told him ahead of time. It had sounded like an insult to his ears. _"What does that eccentric old fool know about my family, anyway?"_ Draco scowled lightly. But at least he heard some good news. His schedule would be switched to match hers, and pretty soon the two of them would be sharing a special room. He bit his lip in anticipation.

"Draco Malfoy…" A voice made him turn his head. Finally, that girl—Cho Chang—had returned. He turned to face her. To his disappointment, however, the one he wanted to see wasn't there. "She… She is sleeping at the moment."

"Sleeping…? _Ah_… That's fine, I suppose." He moved to leave.

"Just a moment!" Draco halted and waited for the girl to continue. "May I ask…? Why is it you want to speak with Kylie Colman?"

"Are you her friend, by chance?" He heard her scoff before replying.

"I wouldn't say we're friends."

"Then you don't need to know."

Cho Chang pouted a bit as she watched Draco walk down the hall without another word. Not that she was concerned for her fellow Ravenclaw, but it was highly unusual for the Slytherin youth to target her. Draco Malfoy usually stuck with teasing and tormenting half-bloods, muggles, and Gryffindor students. She briefly wondered what that scatterbrain could have possibly done to get under Draco's skin before returning to her common room. No doubt her friends were already gossiping about it.

0~0


	2. Doubt

Draco Malfoy stared at the wall in an uncomfortable silence. He was trying desperately to ignore the stares he got from his fellow Slytherins. They, most likely, wanted to question him about his weird behavior yesterday. There was no way he could answer them. He did not even want to bring it up. The Slytherin prefect mentally released a sigh. He knew that soon their inquiring eyes would turn to inquiring mouths. Although, Crabbe and Goyle seemed much more interested in there breakfast, he could tell by the way Pansy Parkinson's nostrils flared that she was on the brink of exploding with questions. Blaise Zabini was no different. Draco could feel the intense gaze linger on his skin. He mentally cursed his new heightened senses—because apparently, heightened senses came with the whole Veela package.

Perhaps if he continued to stare blankly at the wall, they would believe that it was not a good time to bring up a conversation. Maybe they would just keep silent the entire time. That would be so beneficial to him. It would give him time to come up with how to explain his mental transformation. "Draco..." Pansy hesitantly began. But of course, he hadn't been so lucky. His luck had taken a turn for the worst after the whole ferret incident. The Slytherin male could only grimace just thinking about it. Draco turned his eyes to Pansy Parkinson. She used to be his girlfriend, though they rarely did anything intimate. After that relationship fell apart, surprisingly, their friendship only grew stronger. She was no longer his lackey like the other two idiots. "Is there something you want to tell us?"

"... Like what...?"

"Like why you embarrassed nearly all the Slytherins last night."

Blaise wasn't the type to beat around the bush. He could be quite the pain, actually. Quickly, a lie began forming Draco's mind. It would be in his best interest to tell them later. But as of now, he, himself, needed to sort things out before anyone else got involved. "Someone must have got to my food. I thought that it tasted a bit weird. It must have been some type of potion." Blaise stared at him in silence. Doubt remained in his eyes. That is until Pansy gasped quite loudly, drawing his attention.

"Come to think of it, _those_ three have been eyeing you since you entered the Great Hall!"

Draco did not have to look over his shoulder to know who Pansy was referring to. Those three were Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley. Whenever something suspiciously peculiar took place, those three had their noses in it. No doubt they believe him to be scheming something after the strange activity he had done last night. Draco scoffed. He was, for once, glad for their probing nature. For the moment, it shifted the attention away from him. "You think they might've slipped something into your food?" Blaise, however, still seemed unconvinced.

"Well, they were laughing quite loudly when Draco-" Pansy stopped when her fellow Slytherin narrowed his eyes. She quickly tried to amend what she said. "Oh, Draco, you must have been tossing and turning all night because of it, right?" Although they were friends, Pansy would sometimes return to her doting tendencies. "Anyway, we should return the favor." Her smirk was devious, almost evil. After all, Pansy was the type who liked to taunt and get even with people, unless of course they happened to be stronger than the people she normally bullies.

"That won't be necessary." Pansy made a sound of protest while Blaise raised an eyebrow. "It's a new year… I don't have time to play with Potter and his friends."

"_Ah_… So you're finally trying to be mature, are you?" Blaise chuckled, causing Draco to glare in his direction.

"Quiet, you, before I-"

He stopped, choking on his own words. His fingers gripped the cup, causing the liquid inside to quiver. His nails dug into the table. His breath caught in his throat. Draco was vaguely aware of Blaise and Pansy calling his name, but what he was more focused on was her. All of his senses, in fact, were focused solely on _her_! Sweat started forming above his brow. And to make matter worst, she seemed to be headed right for him. His nails dug deeper into the table. No—he had to start controlling his urges for her. He _had_ to! Any further embarrassment because of his Veela genes and he would be forced to do the unthinkable—whatever the heck that meant.

But it was of no use. The closer she became, the harder it was to control his out of control desires. "Draco…! Why are you _biting_ yourself? What's wrong with you?" Damn… He hadn't even realized he was biting his lip so hard. He wiped the blood from his lip away with is tongue.

"It's nothing." He released his cup and let out a slow breath. Blaise raised a dubious brow. "Don't worry about it. I'm perfectly alright." Luckily, she seemed to change directions and head to the Ravenclaw table.

"Forgive me if I don't believe you." Blaise crossed his arms, stilling looking doubtful. Draco almost hated his friend's perceptive nature.

"I told you I'm fine. Just drop it for now and maybe I'll tell _you_ later." Pansy did not look the least bit happy about being left out, but Blaise seemed to be satisfied with that, and so he continued to eat.

"No, wait—don't!" A shout came from the other side of the room. He recognized the voice well enough. That voice belonged to her—Kylie Colman, his intended. Curious and concerned, Draco turned toward where her voice echoed from. Draco regretted this action as soon as he did. For you see, it was at that moment that a spoon collided with his forehead, which caused the back of his head to slam against the table, thus leading to his crumbled body on the floor.

"Draco…!" Pansy shrieked both horrified and bewildered.

0~0

"I do not understand why you must wear your hair that way." Sarah Simmons had been staring at the back her friend's since they had begun walking to the Great Hall for breakfast and to get their schedules. Kylie Colman turned to her friend, looking a bit miffed. What was wrong with her two ponytails? The style was comfortable and it didn't take long to fix up. Unlike most of the girls her age—Sarah included—she did not want to spend hours on something that was going to be messed up. Stupid Potions' class with its mixing the wrong ingredients and explosions, she thought with a frown.

"For your information, this style is quite unique and I'm glad to have it!"

"You are aware that Moaning Myrtle also has the same hairstyle?"

"That's different!"

"How so…?"

"… I don't have glasses."

"I will not dignify that with a response."

Kylie grinned cheekily as they finally entered the Great Hall. Many students were already gathered—some talking animatedly. Her brown eyes began to scan the tables, searching for open seats. Suddenly, she felt Sarah grab her arm and pull her. Stumbling, Kylie could only give her friend a glare. "What are you doing?" She tried to regain her balance while glaring. It didn't quite work out the way she wanted to. Sarah ignored her and continued to drag. "No, seriously! I don't like being dragged! It reminds me too much of that S&M thing I saw once, and if that's what you're planning then I-"

"Yes, yes, witty retort followed by you ranting throughout breakfast—I've heard it all before." Kylie snatched her arm away, angry that she had been cut off like that. "Don't you want good seats?"

"This isn't a Quidditch match and in case you haven't noticed you were headed over to the _Slytherin_ table!" A blank, far away expression crossed the teen's expression.

"Is that so?" Her voice sounded bored. Kylie gave her a flat look.

"If you weren't so cool and resourceful, I'd end this friendship," she murmured, walking in the opposite direction. A small whimsical smile appeared and vanished like a phantom on Sarah's face as she followed Kylie toward their rightful table. Unfortunately, she had been wrong. Kylie had yet to mention what she and the Headmaster had talked about. She also had not told her why Draco Malfoy had requested her presence last night. Sarah had hoped to jumpstart her memory, by making her see said Slytherin, in order to get her to rant about what happened yesterday. She had done so in the past before.

Sarah sat down across from her friend with an inaudible sigh. Perhaps she would try a different approach this time around. That would be the better choice, wouldn't it? Kylie was being unusually stubborn about keeping quiet about this affair. It was rather… odd of her. Normally, you couldn't pay her to be quiet, and when you offered to, she would rant and rave about that as well. Kylie's previous words echoed in Sarah's mind. She was indeed being steadfast about keeping the subject matter quiet. Kylie suddenly groaned.

"You know what I can't stand? The fact that they give us our schedules after I eat is annoying."

"Has it ever occurred to you to just ask for your schedule ahead of time? I'm sure Professor Flitwick wouldn't mind."

"Like I'll be able to see him." Sarah gave her a look. "Blame it on my American upbringing. It's not my fault my bloody parents decided to move to that place."

"Americans shouldn't use the words 'bloody' and 'wanker,' Kylie. It makes them sound silly. I've said this on numerous occasions." Kylie only muttered something about wishing she had a cool, funky accent. "But I digress…" Sarah's comment caused her friend to look confused. "Why is it that Draco Malfoy called you out?" The teen gagged as if she was reliving a horrifying memory.

"Okay, you shouldn't use slang from countries either." Sarah's eyebrow twitched. "Anyway, I told you that I didn't want to talk about it."

"You talk right now or I will never again utter a Japanese word for you and tell you what it means in English." Kylie gasped in a dramatic way, causing her fellow Ravenclaw member to almost roll her eyes.

"'sprobablymad!" Kylie said all in one go. She filled her lungs again. "Please don't keep them from me! Confusing Cho-chan is the only reason I come to this school!" Sarah narrowed her eyes. Despite her rapid sentence, she had understood quite well. "What are you doing with spoon?" Sarah did not supply an answer. "Why are you holding it up like it's a knife you're about to fling?" Kylie's eyes grew wide when realization dawned on her. Sarah did not take too kindly to people who messed with her best friend. The last time someone tried to tease her—last year, actually—Sarah Simmons tied them to the Whomping Willow and watched with a bored expression as the tree defended against the tied up wizard. The scared boy had fainted and had not teased her since—on the count that he was hospitalized. "No, wait—don't!" Kylie shouted.

But it was much too late. The spoon had flew from Sarah's hand and launched toward the Slytherin table. Regardless of being mediocre in magic, the green-eyed girl had killer accuracy when it came to throwing things. She could practically make the object move to her will, Kylie believed. In just a few short seconds, the object would hit its target. A dull thud was heard, followed by a shriek, a telltale sign that Sarah did not miss. She glowered when the entire room grew quiet. She could tell most were shocked. Others, however, were snickering quietly. Great, now everyone's going to know.

"Which one of you threw a _spoon_ at Draco?" Pansy Parkinson's voice echoed throughout the Great Hall. No one spoke up. Kylie sank into her seat, trying to become invisible. No, it wasn't the silence that caused her to dread waking up, it was the fingers all pointing in her and Sarah's general direction.

It did not take long for five Slytherins to reach their table. The Ravenclaw students surrounding them all hurriedly move away, knowing not to get in the way of Draco Malfoy's entourage. Sarah and Kylie remained in their seats. Sarah even had the nerve to ignore the new comers and calmly sip on whatever liquid was in her cup. Her friend's nonchalant actions made Kylie scowl. Why was she always so damn composed in the direst situations?

"Well, which one of you Ravenclaws threw the spoon?" Blaise asked. Kylie slowly turned her head to the group. He, along with Pansy Parkinson, Vincent Crabbe, and Gregory Golye, looked angry. Well, of course they would be! What servants in their right mind _wouldn't_ be pissed that their lord came under sudden attack?

Her brown eyes slowly shifted to the leader of the group. He, surprisingly, didn't look so angry. In fact, he looked a little… hurt? _"What in God—I mean Merlin's name is going on?"_ Kylie felt like shivering. Something definitely was not right with his reaction. His steely grey eyes suddenly locked in her on, almost causing the teen to gasp. A smirked played on Draco's lips, but his eyes gave away his look of yearning. Kylie looked back at the table with a grimace. _"Worst than being bullied! Worst than being bullied! Worst than being bullied!"_

Sarah suddenly stood, drawing all eyes to her. "First, I'd like to comment on how loyal you four are to Draco Malfoy. Most would shake with jealousy."

"Don't tempt the fates!"

Ignoring her friend, Sarah Simmons continued. She looked directly at Blaise, keeping her emotionless expression intact. "Second, that spoon could have come from anywhere. What makes you think it was us?"

"The pointing fingers kinda gave us away, Sarah! Stop knocking at death's door!" Kylie stood up, nearly hissing at her friend. She turned to the group of five with a smile etched onto her face. "Please forgive my friend. She's a bit cranky in the mornings." She avoided looking at the leader of the group. "As for the spoon, I meant no harm. It was an accident. Let it go."

"So it was you then?" Pansy accused. "Do you _know_ who he is?"

The smile faltered. Apparently, they weren't going to let this go. "Frankly, my dear, _I_ don't give damn." This did not quell Pansy's anger. Actually, it most likely made things quite worst. "Now, kindly go back to your table before someone does something stupid, causing me to be involved in something stupid that I don't want to be involved in."

"Why you brainless-"

"Yeah, leave her alone, _Pugsy_!" A teen stood in front of Kylie as if protecting her from the venomous glare that Pansy was definitely sporting right about now. His unruly orange hair made Kylie blanch. She mentally smacked her forehead. This was _exactly_ what she was afraid of—someone doing something stupid to get her involved in something stupid. Damn Gryffindors and their damn heroic and brave tendencies.

"Weasel…? How _dare_ you?" Basically, she snarled at Ron Weasley, who was 1/3 of the Golden Trio. With a mental groan, Kylie thought things couldn't get any worse.

"And Malfoy's a ferret—we all know this." Both Harry Potter, the speaker, and Hermione Granger joined their friend's side.

"_It just… got… worse…"_ Kylie swiftly turned toward her friend with an 'I'm going to kill you' expression written on her face. Sarah had merely sat down with a small smile, waiting for the drama to unfold.

"Potter! This has nothing to do with you, your filthy blood traitor, or your filthy mud-blood!" Hermione waved off Blaise comment, but Ron visibly bristled.

"I'm not going to let you terrorize someone because of an _accident_, Malfoy!" It was almost if Harry was _trying_ to coax Dragon—er, Draco into an argument. "If she said it was an accident, then it was an accident!"

"That was no-"

"Enough!" Draco's voice interrupted Pansy. Everyone turned to the said Slytherin, surprised. It wasn't often that the young wizard stopped a conflict. Actually, he would usually be the key instigator. "This is irritating her." No one was quite sure whom this 'her' was, but it certainly sent them spiraling into confusion. "Let's go."

"But Draco…! They-"

"I _said_ let's go." Pansy let out an indignant huff, but followed his orders nonetheless. She stalked away, having Crabbe, Goyle, and Blaise follow after her—in that order. "Potter." Draco narrowed his eyes.

"Malfoy." Harry sneered back. And with that last small exchange, Draco walked back toward his own table.

Kylie breathed a sigh of relief, and then sat back down. She was grateful that those certain Slytherins left. Perhaps now she could eat in peace. "So you're Kylie Colman, right?" Harry sat down beside her, straddling the bench. Then again, she wasn't very lucky when she wanted something. She turned to the Boy-Who-Lived—which she thought was overrated—and tried to keep the frown from her face.

"Harry Potter knows my name?" she questioned.

"Of course!" His friend, Ron, answered for him. He, too, along with Hermione, sat down as well. Kylie had a sudden sinking feeling that she wouldn't come out of this unscarred. "There's a rumor flying around that you were called out by Malfoy last night after his—what do you call it?"

"Mental breakdown…?" Hermione suggested.

"Yeah, that's it!"

"Wait a minute! What do you mean flying around?" Kylie scanned the faces of the Golden Trio. "Just how many people know about it?"

"Most likely the entire school," Sarah suggested. "No doubt it's the work of Cho's rumor-spreading friends, _hm_?" Kylie turned a heated stare to her friend. She was being entirely too laid back about this whole thing, which was practically all her fault.

"I don't know about the whole school, but I heard it from Luna," Harry stated.

But by this time, Kylie was no longer listening. She was much too busy complaining how life was unfair and filled with people trying to make her life miserable. First there was her parents, who insisted that she learn how to use magic—even though there was no way she planned on living in such a society in the first place—then it was her teachers, who often argued with her, now it was the students of this crazy school, which has been the source of her misery. And to top it all off, Kylie was sure to be bullied and teased because of this rumor.

Cursing the name Cho Chang, she knew that this was going to be the worse school year ever.

0~0

Kylie sighed as she slowly toward a station. The reason for her sigh was because her very first class was Potions. She would have rather have this class at the end of the day, but no! Lady Luck was never on her side. Not only did she have this class first, but her friend, Sarah, had a different class on the other side of the school. Comparing their schedules, they wouldn't see each other again until lunch. After that, they had two classes together. The teenaged witched frowned as she sat. Well, at least they did have _some_ classes together.

She cursed herself for coming early to this class. She should have stayed with Sarah a bit longer. Classes did not start until nine, and it was only fifteen minutes before the hour. Kylie would have stayed in the Great Hall, and dragged out her breakfast, but those three just wouldn't shut up. Hermione should have been in Ravenclaw. She seemed to fit right in with the nerd category. She wouldn't stop talking about _studying_ for crying out loud. Ron, the one who had supposedly saved her, didn't seem to know any table manners. It was a little disturbing. And Harry, oh boy, kept asking questions about Cho Chang. Their chattering was annoying and almost gave her a headache. She was sure that they were really good people, but come on! There was a time and place for that, and early in the morning was not the time. The Ravenclaw student closed her eyes for a moment, using her arms as a pillow. Time shouldn't be wasted, and so she opted to take a short nap. She was definitely going to need it for Snape's class.

Kylie was faintly aware of footsteps approaching, which woke her up, but decided not to open her eyes. She hadn't been asleep for long, so class couldn't have started yet. "Ms. Colman…" A familiar voice made the student crack one eye open. Pitch black eyes belonging to Severus Snape stared back at her. "There will be no sleeping in my class—as I've said to you numerous times before." Slowly, Kylie sat up and gave her professor a blank look. She could practically feel the eyes of the other students. She mentally scoffed. Maybe that nap wasn't so short.

"Glad to see you're still the same, Master P," she greeted. Snape scowled at the nickname. Kylie grinned. He was still as uptight as she remembered. "It's the first day, though. Cut me some slack, eh?"

"Always a pleasure to have you in class," his sarcastic, slightly snobby voice drawled out.

"Indeed, the pleasure's all yours."

"Charming."

The potions expert walked away from her table and to the front of the class. The man had figured out quite some time ago that docking points wouldn't do much to her pride or rude behavior. It was best to just leave her alone. But he couldn't do that anymore, could he? Oh no. He would have to keep a watchful eye on her, as well as Draco. Snape turned toward his class. Speaking of the boy, his eyes were on her. Kylie did not seem to notice or care for his gaze. She stared straight ahead, already bored. Snape had to resist rolling his eyes. "For today's lesson, you will be making Girding Potion. The instructions are in your books. I will distribute the ingredients. Form a single line. You have until the end of class." He gave a pointed look to Kylie. "And do try not to blow up anything." The girl had the nerve to look offended. "For that reason, you will be paired up… for the rest of the year." Several groans of protest were heard, but were ignored. Chalk levitated toward the board and actually began to write names. "Once you know who you are paired with, one of you will come up to retrieve the ingredients."

Slowly but surely, students began to line up to get their constituents. Kylie waited patiently for her name to be written. She didn't care who her partner was, really, so when she saw her name, she stood up. She would get the stuff and whoever she was partnered with could come to her table. _"For the rest of the year, huh?"_ The teen pulled at one of her ponytails. Maybe this was a chance to gain a new friend. Sarah was all good, but she would hardly see her this year.

"Move forward." Kylie almost glared at Snape. She just knew he had it out for her ever since she came up with his nickname. Was it really her fault that someone would slip up and call him that? No, it wasn't. She quickly gathered the four items and headed back over to her table. No one was there yet, so she still didn't know who her partner was. She hadn't bothered to look. Kylie spread the objects across the table, and then sat.

"So it looks like we're partners now."

Her yelp of surprise caused everyone to turn in her direction. Kylie chuckled nervously, scratching her head. _"Why me…?"_ She glared at her partner. "Was that really necessary?" Her brown eyes turned away from him toward the board. Sure enough, his name was written next to hers. She frowned, and then turned back to him. "I mean… wow!" Her hand fell from her chest. Never had her heart raced so fast.

"I did not mean to startle you."

"That smirk tells me otherwise, Dragon."

The smirk only grin, much to the annoyance of Kylie. Draco pulled a chair next to hers and sat. She turned her eyes away with a sigh. "We should get started." She passed him the ingredients. "I heard you were good at potion-making, so I'll read you the instructions and you can conjure up the result, okay?" She opened her book. She flipped through the pages for a moment. "Here we go… Uh… First you-" The Ravenclaw student stopped. She blinked, and then slowly moved her eyes to her hand. Another hand was covering it. Just as slowly, she turned her gaze to him. Clearly, he seemed shocked at his own actions. But Kylie ignored this. "What?" she asked.

Draco took his hand away as if he had been burned. He turned his eyes to the cauldron. "That's… the wrong page. The potion we're making is on the next." Arching a brow, Kylie turned and realized he was correct. She grimaced. That would have been another explosion. The teen witch turned the page. Girding was written in big, bold letter, causing her to feel slightly idiotic.

"_Ah_, thanks," she murmured. "So you've memorized the whole book, or something?" His grey eyes shifted back to her. She grinned. "Don't tell me you want to become a potion's master!"

"Will you be giving me that name if I do?"

"No way, Master P will only be the nickname of my favorite professor!" Said professor cleared his throat, sounding irritated. This only caused the witch to snicker. "Yeah, he loves me, too."

Draco smiled, relieved that they had something in common. "He's your favorite? But you're a Ravenclaw." Not many students—besides Slytherins—really liked the man. This was his first time hearing otherwise.

"Yeah, so what? I admit the first year was _real_ bad. I'm pretty sure he wanted to hex me severely. But we eventually got over our differences." The witch grinned. Draco could tell she was remembering. "But enough about that! Let's finish this."

This person, he realized, he wanted. She was plain—average, and yet so much more. He wanted to touch her even more now that was closer. Her hand was soft. She had not tense up like he expected her to. In actuality, he was sure that her hand moved to accommodate his. From her actions last night, Draco assumed that she wouldn't go anywhere near him. But she had and was willing to stay near. Could it be that her body reacted to him without her consciously knowing? He would have to remember that whenever his father came to Hogwarts. He had sent him a message after failing to talk to Kylie personally. Draco wanted to speak with his father further on the matter.

In the summer, Lucius Malfoy had explained many things to him. His lectures only told him what he was expected to feel during this time, and not about the intended. If her body did react unconsciously, then that put him at an advantage. His instincts might not completely get out of control. "He's also my favorite." Kylie turned to him. "Teacher, I mean…"

"Not surprised," she said. "He's pretty cool." She was silent for a moment. "Not to sound like a bossy person, but we really need to finish this before class ends."

"Why…?"

"Those three, apparently your enemies, said something about protection, so I want to avoid running into them by leaving quickly."

"Potter and his friends?"

"Yup, that's them…" she answered flatly. "Really don't want to get involved with their… problems." Draco nodded. He would have to make sure those three stayed away from her. "_Ah…_ and sorry again about this morning… I imagine that that spoon hit you quite hard."

"So you did hit me?"

"No, it was my friend. She got angry."

"About what?"

"… nothing in particular."

Draco narrowed his eyes, detecting the lie. However, he didn't want her to fill uncomfortable, so he decided not to question it further. "I suppose we should get to work then." He picked up one items. "This goes in first, not the Fairy Wings."

"Oops! Boy, am I glad you're my partner!"


	3. Relations

Sarah Simmons stared at her best friends with her eyebrow arched in curiosity. She didn't quite understand why Kylie was grinning the way she was. Come to think of it, she had done so every day for the past week since school started. The teenage witch always seemed to be in a good mood right before lunch. Last year it was quite the opposite, hence why Sarah's interest was sparked. She had let her friend's behavior slip from her mind because she had first wanted to settle into the Hogwarts schedule. Now, that she was finally in routine, she could question her to her heart's content.

The two witches sat down across from each like always, waiting for the food to appear. Kylie suddenly snorted, trying to hold back a laugh. Sarah's brow twitched. Her friend had also done that, too. It was a bit aggravating to say the least. "Okay, I've wanted to ask you this for awhile now…" Sarah began, causing her friend's brown eyes to look up. "You're usually complaining about something irrelevant by now. It's been a week—I'm a bit worried." Kylie looked offended.

"I'm hurt that you don't think I have the ability to smile!"

"It's just a bit strange. You can't honestly blame me for asking."

Kylie sighed, and then grinned. "Fine, if you must know. Dragon tells me jokes after class. They're so bad that you can't help but laugh at him for trying. Poor guy thinks I'm laughing _with_ him." At her friend's confused, albeit stoic expression, Kylie further explained. "Sorry, I meant Draco. I've really got to stop calling him that. I don't even know why I do it." The teen took a bite out of her bread, ignoring the crumbs that fell from her lips. "He's in all of my classes, ya know? He's really not as bad as Harry and Ron thinks."

"Excuse me…? You don't mean Draco Malfoy, do you?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure that's not a common name."

Sarah ignored the sarcasm. That certainly didn't make any sense. After the whole spoon fiasco, surely she thought for sure that Kylie would stay clear from Draco Malfoy's view. Her friend hadn't mentioned anything about him afterwards, so Sarah had assumed that the small event was over and the young Malfoy would return to normal. Apparently, she had been wrong. Narrowing her eyes, Sarah stared at the carefree expression on Kylie's face. She was definitely being different. After a week, she spoke of not one complaint or argument that she had with a teacher. Could it be that she was not arguing with any of the professors—not even Professor Snape? That man happened to be Kylie's favorite person to quarrel with. _"This is very strange. Perhaps something is distracting her."_ Her green eyes flickered over to the Slytherin table. To her surprise, she took notice of the fact that Draco was practically staring a hole into the back of Kylie's head. He didn't seem to realize that he had a watcher of his own. _"Or someone…"_ Sarah turned her gaze back to Kylie. She was blissfully unaware of his stare. _"Odd… Something tells me things are just getting started."_

The quiet Ravenclaw began to eat while listening to Kylie retold the 'joke' that Draco had told her. It was quite awful if joking had been his intentions. Sarah set down her cup, furrowing her eyebrows together. Once again, her eyes shifted over to the Slytherin table. Only this time, they were focused on the teen next to Draco, who had yet to take his eyes off Kylie. That was more than a little disturbing, yet for right now… her sole focal point was on Blaise Zabini. His dark brown eyes seemed to be focused on her as well. Sarah frowned as she continued to stare. Now what could _he_ want with her? She noted that his eyes glanced at the entrance to the Great Hall before returning back to her. _Ah_, so he wanted to speak to her in private, did he?

Sarah stood up, causing Kylie's gaze to move to her. "Hey, where are you heading off to?" she asked. Sarah gave a small smile.

"I'll be right back. Don't worry about me."

"I'm more worried about what'll happen to your food if you're gone for longer than five minutes."

"Oh yes, you are a glutton, aren't you?"

Kylie's confirmation of laughter faded and combined with noises made by the other students. At the moment, Sarah's senses were on Blaise. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that he had stood and began walking toward the entrance like she had. Sarah mentally scoffed. He wasn't nearly as subtly as she. His head was turned to her as she walked, watching—stalking her movements. One would think she was a criminal the way his hawkish stare practically pierced her body. Despite his gaze, Sarah did not feel the need to speed up. He left the Great Hall first. Moments later, she exited the giant doors.

Outside, she saw Blaise with his back pressed against a nearby wall. His arms were crossed over his chest. His eyes narrowed her way when she stepped forward. It appears that Blaise did not like to be kept waiting. What an arrogant little git. Allowing a small smirk to surface, Sarah stood in front of the Slytherin, waiting for an explanation. "I suspect that you are wondering about the relationship between Draco Malfoy and Kylie Colman?"

"Your suspicions are correct." Sarah folded her arms, raising a brow. "So let's cut the small talk, shall we? Tell me exactly is wrong with your boss."

"My boss…?"

"You are his lackey, are you not?"

"No…!"

"Could it be that you're smarter than those other two?" The smirk dropped from her face. "Never mind, I do not care. Answer me."

Blaise scowled. Her 'holier than thou' attitude really grated his nerves. What was so bad about it was that it was subtle. Anyone else would surely miss it if they weren't paying attention. But he didn't get her attention just for the thrill of arguing. Immature squabbling had not been his attention. This was about Draco. "To put it bluntly, your friend is the intended mate of Malfoy. His Veela instincts have kicked in." Sarah's eyes widen a fraction. That was hardly what she had expected. Veela and it's intended, eh?

_Hey, what do you know about Veelas?_

Of course… Kylie had been trying to gain information concerning those creatures. And it had been right after she had spoken with the Headmaster. Sarah had no idea that it would come down to this. Draco Malfoy and her friend…? It was a very odd combination. Her arms fell to her sides. Though she had given an offhanded reply to her friend that night, Sarah had known so much more than that. It was amazing what one can find in the restricted section of the library and the collection of books in her parents' room. The text had read that once a Veela discovered their mate, they would stop at nothing to obtain them. She had found more advanced descriptions in her parents' books. The intended mate's body would react to the pursuing Veela. That would explain why Kylie had yet to make one complaint. Draco was with her almost every single minute of the day. No wonder she had that happy-go-lucky look on her face. However, this was troubling news.

No wonder Draco's friend—lackey, whatever—had come to her. She assumed that the two wanted help. Kylie was skeptical about many things. Sarah was sure mystical creatures and their natures were somewhere near the top. The teen had come back to the room, shuddering in disgust. The Headmaster had probably tried, in vain, to explain her situation. Kylie was the type of person who had to be told something delicately, if not cunningly in order for her to get it _and_ accept it. At the moment, the silly girl probably believed this whole thing was a prank. "_Heh_, I see…"

"If you really did understand, you wouldn't be so calm about it." Blaise smirked when Sarah raised a brow. "His parents are coming _today_, and from what I hear, so are hers."

"You are correct. Kylie received a letter two days ago, telling her to expect them." She narrowed her eyes. "What is it that you want to gain by telling me this?"

"Obviously, I want you to explain it to her. Do you _know_ how hard it is to restrain him?" Sarah opened her mouth. "You can't even imagine." Sarah closed her eyes and turned her back to the Slytherin. It was an action that Blaise didn't appreciate all too much.

"I won't hinder whatever plans Draco Malfoy may have to winning her over," she calmly stated. "But I will not help his cause either." Sensing his oncoming protest, Sarah continued. "If he really is part Veela he will get Kylie if he truly works for her. He has the same schedule as her. It's been a week. I doubt that he hasn't figured out the way she is by now. The cards have been set. It is up to Draco to play them right. Outsiders getting involved would probably only cause trouble." She placed on hand the door. "It would be in your best interest not to even _try_ to speed things up." Before she could push it open, however, a hand slammed against the giant door right near Sarah's head. Her green eyes narrowed in disdain. She could feel his chest pressed against her back. She was only a head shorter than he. "Kindly remove yourself from my person."

Blaise ignored her words, choosing to, instead, move his head so that his lips were near the teen's ear. "If you do this for me, I would do _something_ for you." Sarah tried desperately to keep a straight face. This was the type of… game she despised. Sure manipulation was her specialty, but such tactics as seduction were not what she would willingly do. In fact, she frowned upon it. Sarah mentally scoffed. It was usually females who did such a thing. This one must have hubris to the extreme. "Now that I know this about him, I wish he hadn't told me. Now I have to deal with the burden. Do you really want me to deal with this all by myself?"

"Not my problem."

"Don't be like that. I know you want a favor from me."

Sarah turned around with an amused twinkle in her eyes. It quickly disappeared, causing Blaise to blink. "You're quite right. I would like a favor of you." She placed her hands on his chest. "Give me ten feet." Much too startled to brace himself from the impact, the Slytherin fell to the floor. Sarah crossed her eyes. "Honestly… A guy's testicles drop over the summer and they think they're hot shit. Don't bother me with you incredibly moronic tactics. You will only be wasting your time." Her voice and face were neutral, yet inside she was questioning her words. 'Hot shit,' she thought. Mentally shaking her head, she realized that Kylie's influence was much stronger than she realized. That statement was not true as a matter of fact. Testicles drop much sooner than puberty. But she was getting off subject. "No matter what happens, I will not interfere. Sorry to disappoint you."

With that, Sarah once again entered the Great Hall, leaving a stunned Blaise on the floor. One would think he had never been rejected. Putting that thought into the back of her mind, she stepped into the room, only to be astonished by the sight. The entire student population was silent—all eyes focused in one direction. Imagine her surprise when she realized who was at the center of attention. Sarah relaxed her body, trying to calm her nerves. Maybe she gave him too much credit. This wasn't subtle at all. The teen witch quietly moved towards the current spectacle. "How bad do you want it?" Raising a brow, Sarah wondered her friend's question. Just what type of conversation were they having?

"Badly… I want it badly."

If she had been a normal teenager, Sarah's mind would have immediately guessed something perverse. Luckily, she had kept her cool. She stood beside them. Her eyes moved back and forth between the two. They were staring into one another's eyes with such intensity. Most likely, they did not realize they had an audience. Sarah was a bit shocked that the 'Golden Trio' had not gotten closer. No doubt they found this display to be bizarre as well as everyone else.

Kylie grinned, and then licked her lips. This action triggered a shiver from the Slytherin prefect. Sometimes, Sarah felt the urge to smack her forehead. She knew for certain that her friend did not know the effects of her action on Draco. "Well, that's too bad. I'm not going to lose this time." A smug looked crossed the Malfoy's features.

"You said that many times before. The outcome of this won't be any different."

The Ravenclaw student couldn't keep the frown from her face. Kylie hadn't mentioned any of this before. Why did she not say anything concerning Draco Malfoy before today? The school day was, in fact, almost over. "This time _will_ be different!" Their faces inched closer. There was no way she realized it. The other students, however, did take notice. Draco only smirked.

Green eyes widen at a startling realization. He _knew_! He knew how Kylie's body would react to him. He must have. At first glance, it would appear obvious with all the attention they gained. But this was something opposite. The Slytherin youth was using his eyes. He did not care for the audience. All he saw was Kylie. He was trying his best to control himself, and yet at the same time, he was almost forcing her body to accept his—small—advances. _"He's smarter than I thought. His tactics seems to even surpass mine."_ Once again, the two—Slytherin and Ravenclaw—moved closer to one another.

Kylie appeared to be struggling to keep her eyes open. Draco on the other hand seemed perfectly fine. Sarah could guess where this was going. "Damn it!" Her friend blinked first, causing a smirk from the Slytherin.

"Looks like I win again. I'll be taking my _prize_ now." Draco reached out and caressed her cheek. The sharp intake of breaths echoed throughout the Great Hall. Kylie swatted his hand away, unknowingly disregarding his attempt at affection.

"Best two out of three!" Sarah mentally shook her head. She had almost felt sorry for Draco. Pursuing such a dense life partner _had_ to be most troublesome.

"Draco…!" Pansy Parkinson had finally entered the scene. She looked as if she had swallowed something extremely sour. The Slytherin male turned his eyes to her. He frowned.

"I told you not to bother me right now."

"But… Everyone is watching! Just what are you doing with this… this… _thing_?"

"Thing…? Wow, that's better than anything Cho-chan's ever said about me."

"You're supposed to be affronted…" Sarah informed her friend. "Draco, here, is more offended than you." The teen wizard was nearly growling at his own friend.

"Yeah… He makes those animalistic noises sometimes. I've gotten used to it."

"_My, my… So young Malfoy _is_ part Veela."_ The witch smirked. Yes, this was going to quite interesting. Sarah opened her mouth to speak, but another voice beat her to it.

The voice belonged to the Gryffindor House, Professor McGonagall. That old witch hadn't changed at all, Sarah realized. "Mister Malfoy and Miss Colman." The two in question turned her way. "The Headmaster would like to see you." Kylie opened her mouth. "No rebuttal, Miss Colman. Come along now." The older witch turned before either of them could respond. Kylie frowned.

"I'm having this weird feeling…" she murmured.

"That's your conscience telling you to not misbehave in front of the Headmaster and cost us points," Cho muttered.

"Hey…! Contrary to popular belief among the Ravenclaw students, I do _not_ singled-handedly make us lose the House Cup every year!" Most of the students belonging to her House gave her dubious looks. "Well, you guys can just _suck_ it."

0~0

_"How the hell was I the last one here?"_ Kylie stared at the door with a flat expression. The reason for her lateness was probably the fact that she had stopped to squabble with Pansy Parkinson. About what—she couldn't say. Most likely, they were arguing over different subjects because what the Slytherin witch was saying hadn't made any sense to her. She had no idea what she had 'stolen' from her. Kylie sighed heavily before knocking on the door.

The familiar voice of the Headmaster instructed her to come in, and so in she went. She stepped closer to Dumbledore's desk. As she advanced, Draco stood and turned to her. He looked relieved. Those who didn't bother to stand were her parents. Her father turned to her with a scowl, while her mother turned with a smile. Her brown eyes moved over to the other adults in the room. She could only assume that they were Draco's mother and father. The resemblance the three shared was almost freaky in a way.

Kylie slowly moved toward the empty seat, which she assumed was hers. The chair was much closer to Draco's seat than her parents. Weird, she thought, but put it in the back of her mind. Whatever this meeting was about had to be important if her parents were involved. After all, they had come all the way from America to be here. In the letter, they hadn't mentioned exactly _why_ they were coming. But at the moment, she couldn't really think of anything she had done that was so bad. Heck, she hadn't even gotten points deducted for insubordination like the previous years… yet. The Ravenclaw student felt all eyes on her as she sat. Shortly after, Draco sat as well. "What _took_ you so long?" Kylie turned her eyes to Jack Colman, who looked very much irritated by her tardiness.

"Gomen, I saw a black cat so I took the long way." Kylie grinned cheekily, hearing the growl come from her father. She did like to ruffle his feathers on occasion. "Now…" She turned her head to the Headmaster. That weird twinkle was in his eyes again. Kylie lost her grin, not liking it. "What is this about?"

"This is… a further mention of the previous time you were in my office." The Headmaster smiled lightly. For some reason his action made Kylie narrow her eyes.

"Sorry," she muttered. "I've repressed that memory." The teen witch was suddenly whacked over the head. "Ow! What the heck was that for, dad?" The blue-eyed man glared at his daughter.

"What did I tell you about _repressing_ things?"

"Not my fault if I wanted to forget whatever happened!" The teen rubbed her head. "And besides, _you're_ the one who taught me to make the bloody potion!" Man, Sarah was right. Americans really shouldn't use British slang—especially when shouting.

Kylie's mother interrupted her loved ones quarrel by clearing her throat. Instantly, father and daughter ceased noise and sat back down in their seats. Both knew that it was not such a good idea to make Debra Colman angry. She may act like a saint, but get her angry, and there goes the entire school. That was a bit of an exaggeration, but seriously… at least a wing could be blown up. The woman's gentle brown eyes shifted toward the Headmaster. "Please continue, Albus. I, too, am curious as to why you have called us here." Kylie glanced at her mother. So they had not known the reason, _eh_?

"Well, we have already been informed." Kylie turned to the other woman, whom was presumably Draco's mother. The woman was sitting, but the Ravenclaw could tell that she was tall—slim, too. She had long blond hair, pale skin, and blue eyes. Kylie would consider her to be quite the beauty—if it hadn't been for the condescending look on her face. Honestly, it appeared as if she smelled something foul. Narrowed eyes moved in her direction. "Draco, dear, you could have chosen better."

"Mother…!"

"Narcissa…" The voice of Draco's father sounded like a warning. The woman known as Narcissa sniffed lightly before turning her gaze away from Kylie. The teenage witch really didn't get that minor, almost nonexistent conflict. Was someone in the room supposed to be insulted…? "It is not his decision. It is something decided by fate."

"Listen, Daddy-Malfoy, I'm a bit confused about what you're talking about, so if you could just elucidate that would help out a lot."

"Do not be rude, Kylie." The witch's mother spoke.

"Yes, ma'am."

Lucius Malfoy smirked. "I see she is as you say, Draco." The young Malfoy opened his mouth, but the man continued. "I take it that it has been quite hard for you." He turned his cold grey eyes to Kylie. Instantly, she felt uncomfortable under his piercing stare. It wasn't the same type of uncomfortable she felt when Draco stared at her, though. It was somehow… different. "Tell me, my dear, are you _pure_?"

"I don't see how that's important." Jack stood up, glaring at his fellow man. He then looked at Dumbledore. "What do these people have to do with our daughter?"

Albus Dumbledore, who was just sitting there, watching it all happened, looked a bit startled, hearing his name. "Oh, yes…" That old wizard—he was _enjoying_ this! He cleared his throat, and then leaned forward, lacing his fingers together. Kylie mentally shook her head. He was still as eccentric as ever. "Mr. Colman, if I could as you to sit back down, we will continue." Jack slowly sat as he was told. "As I have previously told your daughter, she is the intended mate of young Veela Draco here."

"Mate…? What he is—some type of animal?" The man scratched at his short dark hair. He's lip twitched, not liking where this conversation was going.

"Jack, dear…"

"In a way—yes… Your daughter holds quite the honor, in fact." His eyes gleamed, somewhat freaking Jack Colman out. "Now, until the end of the year, she will be sharing a special room with young Draco. Their schedules have already been rearranged to accommodate this transition." Kylie's father shook his head several times. "Is there a problem, Mr. Colman?"

"You're bloody damn right there's a problem! What makes you think that I will let my daughter share a room with a teenaged boy—never mind the fact that he's running only on instincts!" He had done a bit of Veela research when he attended Hogwarts. He knew for a fact that Veelas could barely control themselves around their mates, let alone when they're alone. He wouldn't stand for it! He would not allow it!

"Jack." The man gripped the armrest. His wife seemed to be thinking of things logically. Hopefully, she did not quiet him just to agree with the Headmaster. This whole thing was farcical. "I am a bit apprehensive about this arrangement as well. I am not too happy with this, however, if it is fate, then who am I to argue?"

"Honey!"

"I give you my permission for this—that is what you called us in for, right, Headmaster?" The woman arched a brow. Dumbledore nodded his head twice. "Very well, then. I leave my daughter, Kylie in your son's hands." Debra placed a hand over her husband's. This stopped his angered trembling. "This will be good for Kylie, trust me. She hasn't had a boyfriend. I must admit that I was worried."

"About what…?" Debra just giggled cutely. "Alright fine… Knowing a bit about Veelas myself, I know that he wouldn't hurt her in any way, so I suppose…"

"Tremendous…!" Dumbledore clapped his hands once. He was mildly surprised that the gathering hadn't had too many complications. "It's settled then. Young Draco and Miss Colman will move their things immediately. Their teachers have already been informed. Both parties do not have to worry. This will be a most glorious experience." The parents of Kylie Colman scoffed, knowing he was wrong. If their daughter had anything to say about it, it would not be as _glorious_ as he so eloquently put it.

"I suppose it could be worse. She could be an idiot."

"Narcissa!"

"What? She's not what I expected. You can't really blame me." The blond woman turned her eyes to the two teens. "They're not even listening. Draco."

The young Malfoy looked up, hearing his name. He was just in the middle of having 'best six out of ten,' and he had almost won again. If this keeps up, he would never get his _prize_. "Yes, mother…?" Kylie glanced at the woman as well. The four parents were standing, along with Dumbledore. They were all looking their way. It was slightly funny that he hadn't realized their little meeting was over, or seemed to be over.

"Try not to put a bun in the oven too soon, alright? I am still too young to be a grandmother." Draco immediately flushed at his mother's words, as did Jack Colman but for a very different reason.

"_Err_… I don't think he's thinking about buns right now. Your comment is uncalled for."

"Well, I do not know if you're a lady of the night." Debra had to hold her husband back, while Lucius tried to talk down his wife before she said anything more. In Draco's letter, he had stated that his intended mate was quite the handful. "There's only one female here capable of being a real lady."

"Uh, I think you're wrong. There are three. My mother, myself, and you are ladies."

"Like I said—only one real lady."

"I'm pretty sure you're wrong again, Momma-Malfoy. There are three of us and the rest are guys." _Sheesh_, this woman couldn't count. Some Malfoy she was turning out to be. "Unless you've got _something_ you want to say."

"I'm not the one with the problem of being a lady. You are."

"And that's the last strike. I'm perfectly fine. Although, there was this one time I didn't care what the differences were between guys and girls, and I got into a fight with-"

"I'm _trying_ to insult you, you little-"

"There is enough…!" Debra finally snapped. "Just _whose_ daughter do you think you're _talking_ to?" Both daughter and father flinched, knowing what was coming. "Like no one knows of your promiscuous ways when we were in school together, you cootie queen…!"

"How dare you call me cootie queen, you lint licker!"

"Pickle you, kumquat!"

"Oh… This isn't good," the two teen muttered. They looked at one another in surprise. "You too…?" Kylie asked.

"That's right." Draco sighed heavily.

"Oh man, here comes the wand."

"And there goes the _Flipendo_…"

Both teens winced as well as their fathers.

0~0

Debra Colman coughed out a black puff of smoke. Kylie stared down at her mother, knowing it would come to this. Fortunately—_or_ unfortunately—this time it was against another witch. Jack Colman kept complaining about how much it cost to wipe the whole neighborhood's memory. The family of three was currently in one part of the hospital wing. The Malfoy family was on the other side. The two mothers refused to be treated near one another. "Okaasan… was that really necessary?" Debra merely huffed at her daughter's disapproving tone. It wasn't like she hadn't heard it before.

Instead of answering, she decided to change the subject. "About the meeting with the Headmaster…" she began. "You were not listening, were you?"

"That's right. Stupid Draco and his stupid winning tendencies…" Kylie murmured with a frown. Debra and Jack refrained from sighing. They could not think of a reason why their daughter had turned out this way. Hopefully, that boy already knew about Kylie's bizarre personality.

"I will let Draco Malfoy explain things to you. Your father and I will return later on to see how things are progressing."

"_Sooner_ than later," Jack added.

Kylie looked back and forth between her parents, pondering their words. Perhaps, she shouldn't have taken that potion. And maybe she should have been listening instead of playing games with the Slytherin, especially since the conversation was concerning her and her family. She opened her mouth to question whatever was happening, but decided against it. She would find out sooner or later. If it was as bad as she thought, then she would choose to save the headache for later.

"Excuse me." Kylie's brown eyes shifted over to the newcomer. For some reason, she found herself smiling. As of late, the teen wizard's presence had been quite comforting. "I… want to apologize for my mother's behavior. She's not bad, really. Once you get to know her, you'll find her company endearing." Both Debra and Jack snorted. Their daughter unconsciously glared at them. "In any case, I would like for you to meet my parents formally." The Ravenclaw student stood up, without waiting for a response from her parents.

"Of course. It should be me who apologizes, though." She stood by Draco's side, and then turned to her parents. "I guess I'll see you later. After this, I plan on going back to class." Her parents nodded their heads. "Shall we…?" Kylie turned back to Draco.

"After you."

The teen witch grinned, and then began to walk away from her mother's bed. Draco was about to follow suite, but a voice halted his movements. "Young man." The voice belonged to Kylie's father. The young Malfoy turned. "Contrary to what you may be thinking of handling this situation with my daughter, do not drag this out."

"I… do not understand."

"As you've probably already realize, my daughter isn't… normal. Because of the way she acts, you probably think slow and steady is the way, but it's not. You must hit her with concrete evidence with _quick_ precision. Otherwise, your efforts will be in vain, and you could lose her. She's quite the little skeptic. Chances are, if it doesn't sound logical, then it's not, at least to her. The chances of a male Veela is slim to none. And to Kylie, being told that will most likely feel that she's being lied to. Trend carefully."

"… You're giving me advice—do you accept me?"

"Looks like I have to." The man sighed. "I can tell you care for her already, and you're going to have to prove that to her as well."

"I am fully prepared for this."

"No, you're not," Debra spoke up. "You're not even close, but good luck anyway. Take care of Kylie." Draco slowly nodded. Putting those slightly encouraging words in the back of his mind, the young wizard walked away. "_Ah_… He's so screwed." Jack could only nod his head, agreeing.

"Fifty says he'll crack before they bond."

"I am not going to bet on my daughter's-"

"100."

"Deal."

0~0

"Speaking of the little devil…" Kylie had to stop her eye from twitching at the remark that came from Draco's mother. The woman had been irking her nerves ever since she had opened her mouth. Lucius Malfoy turned to face her. He had been _slightly_ more polite than his wife. She could, however, sense the haughty undertones that came from his as well. Kylie stood at the foot of the bed, trying to keep the smile in place. Draco wasn't around. Now was the time to get her feelings across.

"Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy." She dipped her head. "I am sorry for the way my mother behaved. She's usually a good person until she is angered." Kylie raised her head. "That being said, you shouldn't try to anger her." Narcissa opened her mouth to retort. Kylie narrowed her eyes, not giving her a chance. "You openly insulted _me_, which pissed her off, Momma-Malfoy. So, though I apologize, this incident was _your_ fault. And my family doesn't take too kindly to those who try to offend our members."

"How _dare_ you speak to me-"

"I don't care about status. I'll treat you the same as everyone else." She crossed her arms. "As for your earlier question, Daddy-Malfoy, yes, I am _pure_. Both of my parents are full-blooded. They moved to America, _of all places_, before I was born." That is why there was no cool accent, Kylie mentally scowled. They couldn't have waited until she developed an accent before moving, could they? No, of _course_ not! "Anyway, now that that's settled, I do want to get along with the parents of my new friend. I hope you don't make that task hard for me."

The Ravenclaw students stared at the stunned faces of Draco's parents. She supposed not many people had the guts to speak to them in such a way. Kylie almost huffed indignantly. It was about time someone stood up to them. But seriously, the way they still remained speechless lead the teen witch to believe that they had yet to grasp the concept of being scolded. Just as if was about to become awkward, a hand was placed on her shoulder. Kylie uncrossed her arms and turned. "Draco," she greeted. "I was just getting acquainted with your parents."

"As was I." His eyes looked back and forth between his parents. Kylie noticed that Lucius nodded his head. "Since you've introduced yourself, there's no need for me to do it again. Father, Mother—we'll be returning to class now." Draco began to guide Kylie away.

"After the school day, I will speak with you again."

"Yes, father…"

Kylie halted. "You could speak to him right now." She turned back around. "I'll get the information from Sarah about what happened in class today, and I'll relay it back to you. So don't worry. Talk it out. I'm sure you'll be fine." The teen witch spun from Draco's grip. "See you!" She waved as she moved towards the exit. Lucius blinked, as did his wife.

"You sure do know how to pick them, son," she commented, falling back onto the bed. Draco turned to face his parents. He had watched Kylie leave until she was out of sight. The Slytherin sat down on the bed, feeling slightly exhausted. "But I must say that she is quite… cute." Draco looked towards his mother, surprised. "Do not misjudge my wording, son, she still has a long way to go before either us accepts her as a Malfoy." The teen wizard turned to his father. Lucius was nodding his head in confirmation.

"I understand." He furrowed his eyebrows together. "But something has been bothering me about this." His parents gave him inquisitive looks. "Concerning great grandfather—did he unconsciously respond to great grandmother? This past week, I've noticed that Kylie doesn't seem to be aware of her actions when she's around me. Just this morning, she almost kissed me, but I don't think she realized it." Lucius seemed almost stunned.

"Draco… it would appear that you've inherited much more from your great grandmother than I've realized." Confused, Draco continued to remain silent. "Your great grandmother was a full-blooded Veela. She had the ability to seduce any man… except her mate. For him, she had a different type of ability. Because they were destined, he was naturally drawn to her. She ultimately used this to win his heart." The man sighed. "You did not mention any other female in your letter, so I had assumed that you did not gain the ability to seduce the opposite sex, which lead me to assume that you did not gain this other ability."

For a moment, the family was silent. Narcissa looked back and forth between her husband and son. Concerning Veela, she knew far less than they did. Her husband had explained a few things to her, but not all. The Veela genes were practically nonexistence in Lucius, so they had not gone through the same circumstances. She did not really mind being left out, however. The whole thing seemed to be far more complex than what Lucius was letting on. Draco suddenly stood up. "I see," he said. "I'll just use this ability to my advantage then. We'll be bonded before the second semester at this rate."

"Do not be a fool, Draco!" The teen's grin faltered. "It was not so easy to gain your great grandfather's affections for her. I'm sure that it will be equally—if not more—tough for you. Your instincts will become increasingly hard to control as time passes. This could push your mate away. It took years for your great grandparents to bond—_not_ including their school years." This statement put Draco into an awestruck state. "You must handle this with caution. Your great grandmother nearly ripped herself apart during the time they were apart. Because of this that old coot had it so that your schedules are the same. That is also why you will live together. This is to give you more time. Use it wisely."

Draco was silent for a few moments, still a bit startled by the length of time it took for his great grandparents to get together. That… couldn't honestly happen for him, could it? Already, Kylie seemed to be fond of him. She liked it, so he figured that it would not be extremely hard. He did not want to wait so long to bond. The very thought of waiting years caused the young wizard to mentally panic. _"Calm down,"_ he told himself. He was a Malfoy. There no situation that he could not overcome. He and his great grandmother were different. She did not have the blood of a Malfoy coursing through her veins. He had an advantage on his side other than being Veela. Draco swallowed soundly. "I see." He began to move away. "I will take this into consideration. Thank you, father, mother… I will write soon."

The two parents watched him go before turning to one another. "Perhaps you should have told him of the other thing, dear husband." Lucius shook his head. "I suppose you're right. Letting him find out by himself will be good for him. We can't spoil him too much, no matter how much we want to."

"Yes… The reason why it took my grandparents years to bond—I hope that he can handle it… If he can't, I don't want to think about the outcome.

0~0

Kylie yawned loudly as she walked down the hallway. She did not bother to cover it up. There was no point. No one was around to see or hear it. Sarah had told her many times to exhibit good manners. But trying to be polite was tiring. Honestly, she had never met anyone as ostentatious as Draco's parents. She sense the subtle way they were throwing how rich they were around. Being in the presence of middle-class, hard-working people must have been bad for them. It took all her power not to say something in the attendance of the Headmaster. Now because of her trying to control her emotions, her body felt drained of its energy.

Speaking of which, why exactly did she have to meet Draco's parents. It was quite odd that she was so quick to do it. The teen witch wasn't usually so impulsive. Heck, she was never impulsive. With her, she would not dare to make a move with thinking over it first. Now that Kylie was thinking about it, she _had_ been strangely impetuous this whole week. Even Sarah had mentioned her outlandish actions. The Ravenclaw student halted her steps. Her eyebrows knitted together. _"Come to think about it… I haven't gone into rant mode since the after the first night here. It is rather peculiar."_ She looked up in thought. Something had drastically changed from last school. But what could it have been?

"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you an intelligent yet dense human."

Brown eyes looked down in surprise. "Sarah…!" Kylie said nothing more. For some reason, she had a nagging feeling that she had just been insulted by her own friend. She mentally shook her head. "What are you doing here?"

"I had to use the lavatory."

"You know, you could just call it a restroom like normal people."

"I am far from _normal_."

"… I guess that's true."

"Shall we go to class now?"

"Oh yes…! I have to get the information for-" Kylie stopped, coming to a realization. She had been doing an awful lot for the grey-eyed Slytherin as of late. "Oh… It could be some type of spell." Sarah only stared at her friend with a flat expression. She was really incredible… at being thick. Just as she was about to make the comment out loud, another noise interrupted her.

"Why… do they have to… be so… _heavy_?"

The two teen witches turned to see—presumably—a male moving towards them. In his arms, he carried many books stacked on top of each other. Judging by his wobbling stance, he could not really see what was in front of him. Judging from the height and the voice, Sarah assumed that he was around their age. She, however, could not see what House he was in. The two stepped to the side, not wanting to get hit. Kylie, though, stuck her foot out just as he was passing by. Of course, her action caused the wizard to trip and fall to the floor, along with the many books he was carrying. Sarah mentally smirked, hearing the pain filled yelp that had occurred because of the impact. She was a bit of sadist.

The young wizard lifted his head, groaning. Sarah recognized him as Neville Longbottom, a Gryffindor. At first glance, he would appear timid, shy, and clumsy. However, there had been quite the change from his first year to now. He was no longer round-faced or short. He had physically changed over the summer—that was certain. Sarah also knew that he was a bit more assertive than he had been. The teen stood, narrowing his eyes. Yes, he was definitely much taller than he had been—slimmer too. He was more confused than he was angry. Sarah was willingly to bet that Slytherins picked on him more often than any other House. "Why did you do that?" His eyes moved between the two girls, wondering which had tripped him.

"If I hadn't," Kylie spoke in a neutral tone. "You would have tripped down the steps instead. And though that might have been funny at the time, there was a _slight_ possibility that I would have felt bad about it later." Neville shifted his eyes to the top of the staircase. It was at the end of the hallway. They weren't even close to it yet.

"Thanks… I guess..." he muttered, turning back to the two witches.

"As you were."

"Hey! You're not going to help me pick them up?" Neville stopped the two from departing. "We do have the same class this period, right? Help me carry them since you tripped me."

"You can just use the Hover charm. That would be easier than carrying them," Kylie suggested. Neville frowned. "_Ah_, you don't know it. It's _Wingardium Leviosa_. I'm sure you learned it your first year."

"I _know_ the spell. It would just be polite to help me. But never mind." Neville began picking up the books. "And I don't have my wand," he murmured as he stacked the books again. He then began to stumble and wobble away again.

"… Sarah…"

"Yes?"

"Who was he? He says he is in our class this period, but I don't know his face."

"That's because you're usually sleeping or speaking with me. His name is Neville Longbottom."

"Neville Longbottom, _eh_…?" Kylie repeated, watching the teen wizard's departing back. "Never noticed him before, have you?"

"Sure, why not." Sarah walked forward, causing Kylie to follow after. "Why do you ask?"

"_Hm_… No reason."

Sarah arched a brow, yet said nothing.

0~0

Well, I was quite surprised when I got one review, stating this was actually a good story. I was stunned when I received even more reviews—eight in total—for this, so I guess that means I'll continue. Imagine my shock when I saw how many favored this story based on only two chapters. Blew me away, it did. Honesty, I wasn't expecting much, but since the people enjoy it, hopefully, I will continue until the very end.

Thank you, **ShadowCub**, for being the very first reviewer.

And thanks to all who liked the first two chapters.


	4. Denial

Sarah watched her friend uncharacteristically pick at her food. For one as gluttonous as she, seeing such a sight was uncommon, if not weird. This was the first time in weeks—since school started, actually—that Kylie had a sour expression on face. Sarah should have been relieved that things were back to normal with her friend, but she wasn't. This was too strange. Yes, the ranting expression was there, but Kylie was not eating. Usually, the teen would gobble up anything that was placed in front of her—edible, of course. Once again, her behavior was causing Sarah to feel worried and anxious.

The stoic witch slowly moved her eyes toward the Slytherin table. As always, Draco Malfoy was keeping a watchful eye on Kylie. However, he looked quite uncomfortable. Of course he did. Something was wrong with his intended, and he could probably sense that. Sarah turned her eyes back to Kylie and let a frown cross her features. Could her expression have something to do with the fact that Draco and she were now living together? Thinking back, a few days after they moved into a special dorm is when Kylie began to experience a loss of appetite. Sarah felt her eyes slightly widen as a sudden thought struck her. Draco couldn't have... made a move, could he—this soon? The Ravenclaw student's features returned to neutral. No, that couldn't be it. Kylie would only complain about how hormonal boys were if that were the case. And if that were the case, Sarah would have to think of a place to hide the body.

But then what could be ailing her friend?

Kylie suddenly dropped her eating utensil. It clattered against her plate, creating a sound that was merely lost because of the other students. Sarah, however, noticed it. Perhaps, Draco Malfoy noticed it as well. Kylie stood up without a word. "Where are you going?"

"Sumimasen…!" The witch, out of nowhere, took off, heading for the doors. Sarah watched her go, feeling an urge to roll her eyes. Whatever was wrong with Kylie, she didn't want others to overhear it. Sarah slowly stood, wondering what possessed her to tell her words of the Japanese language. She should have known it could be nothing but trouble when Kylie first told her of her fascination with the Asian culture.

When Sarah finally did find her friend, she was in a crouched position, hugging herself. She was still at the top of the staircase, having not gone into the Ravenclaw common room. Sarah raised a brow. _"Curious…"_ she thought, sitting by her friend's side. "Kylie, we need to have a discussion."

"I can't take it anymore…" the girl murmured, not lifting her head. "This is bad… I won't be able to control myself… I can't take it. I can't take it. I can't take it."

"… I'm confused."

The Ravenclaw teen lifted her head, and to Sarah's surprise, tears were in her eyes. "I CAN'T TAKE IT! I NEED FOOD!" Once Sarah's ears stopped ringing, the witch cleared her throat. She calmly asked if something was preventing Kylie from eating. "Do you know how hard it is to eat while feeling like there's someone watching your every movement? It's nerve-racking!" Sarah blinked. Kylie, as thick as she was, finally noticed that Draco Malfoy watched her like she a piece of meat and he was the hungry lion. Perhaps her friend was finally catching on. "I haven't been able to eat properly since I moved in with Dragon—I mean, Draco. This is somehow Master P's fault!" The Drama Queen dropped her head, not noticing the flat stare her friend was giving her.

"_I stand corrected,"_ Sarah thought. "And why would it be Professor Snape's fault?"

"He's the one that assigned me to this weird project—I'm still not too sure what the project is, though—and ever since then, I've felt like there's daggers being thrown my way at lunch and breakfast! I can't take it anymore! I'd rather get a failing grade than give up food!"

Sarah sighed heavily. "Oh, Kylie…" she muttered. "Sometimes I think that the lights are not all on up there." She placed her hand on Kylie's head in an effort to console the girl. Her eyes narrowed. It all made since now. Her friend stopped eating a few days after they moved in together. Draco most likely did nothing wrong. It was his fan base that was to blame. A few days after the fact, the entire school knew of their living arrangements. No doubt Draco's fans were having a hard time getting over the fact that a single female was with their idol. Although there were a few girls outside of Slytherin with crushes on Draco Malfoy, most came from the Slytherin House. And the Queen of them all was Pansy Parkinson. If she wanted to help Kylie, she needed to target the Head fangirl, not the mere underlings. She would have to take care of the problem at the source before any other fan could resort to bullying. A small smirk appeared on Sarah's face, thinking of what to do to Draco Malfoy's past girlfriend.

This year was definitely going to be the best.

"It's even worse at dinner…! All that delicious-smelling food in front of me and I can't eat it!" Kylie continued, oblivious to her friend's thoughts. "It's like the stares are much more intense. My stomach can't handle this too much longer! I'm going to demand a change with my living arrangements!" The girl stood up, yet did not get very far. Sarah had clamped a hand down on her shoulder.

"Do not be so hasty. I shall take care of this for you." The smirk on her face slightly unnerved Kylie. She grinned uneasily.

"_Why do I suddenly feel scared…?"_ she thought.

0~0

Upon returning to their seats, the two Ravenclaw witches resumed what they had been doing beforehand. However, this time, Sarah scanned over the tables. Her eyes narrowed as if she was upset. However, this was only a guess. Really, no one had any idea what she could be thinking. Her expressions did give not one hint away. Draco Malfoy released an inaudible sigh as he continued to watch them—more specifically Kylie. Blaise had returned with no information and a wounded pride when he spoke with Sarah Simmons. She did not plan to help out though Kylie was her friend.

If things continued at this rate, he would definitely need help.

The situation had not progressed since they had moved in together. Quite honestly, things seemed to be at a standstill. Kylie was… distant. She hardly talked to him when they were alone in their room. She would not even walk with him back to their dorm. There was little to no conversation, definitely no touching, and to top it all off, he had to sleep on the floor since there was only one bed. Draco was becoming impatient with her actions. He, at least, wanted to touch her—brief contact. Was that too much to ask?

Not only was that bothering him, but the fact that she was not eating was also a factor as to why he was in a bad mood. Kylie had just stopped eating and that was not normal for her. She could not have possibly been trying to lose weight. If there was one thing he knew about her, it was that she loved food. There was no way she would part from it. This fact lead Draco to believe something was wrong with her. This, for lack of a better phrase, pissed him off.

The Slytherin teen suddenly stood up, causing two pairs of eyes to focus on him. "Where are you going, Draco?" Pansy Parkinson placed her food back on her plate. She could eat just fine, couldn't she? There was no reason that his intended could not eat as well. At the very least, he should do something about that. Ignoring her question, Draco left the table, leaving both Blaise and Pansy in wonder. The prefect made his way over to the Ravenclaw table. He also ignored the stares from other students. He felt Sarah's eyes on him, yet his focus remained on Kylie. She did not seem to realize his presence, but Draco did notice her shoulders relax. This observation made him want to smile, but he chose not to.

Instead, he sat down beside her without a word. Startled, she turned with a surprised look. "Drago—er… Draco…" It did not matter what she called him. Merely acknowledging him was music to his ears. Draco had to keep himself from sighing. Why did his Veela blood insist on making him _this_ sensitive? "_Ah_… If this about my clothes, I told you before that I'm not a very tidy person." She looked back down at her plate.

"Why would I-"

"You look angry."

"I am angry, but not for that reason."

"Then why…?"

"Your hungry stomach makes it hard for me to go to sleep at night. It's annoying, so eat." Kylie merely gave him a look of disbelief as if she knew something he did not. Draco's brow furrowed at this observation. This was placed in the back of his mind because the Ravenclaw teen had yet to begin consuming her meal. "Kylie…!" She looked his way yet again. "Eat." She bit her lip. Draco opened his mouth to repeat his demand, but Kylie interrupted—unknowingly or not.

"I don't feel like eating," she murmured. "It's none of your business."

"Eat or I will feed you."

"_Hmph_, yeah right!"

To her surprise, Draco wrapped an arm around her shoulders, forcing her to remain in one place. Instead of flinching away, however, Kylie unconsciously relaxed. With his other hand, he moved her head so that her eyes were now on him. Without another word, Draco bit down on a banana, and then moved toward her. Realizing what he was aiming for, Kylie shrieked out, drawing unwanted attention. "Okay! Okay! I'll eat!" She pushed against his chest, keeping the Slytherin at bay. Draco smirked, swallowed the fruit, and then licked his lips. Kylie looked away, grumbling to herself. "Jeez… You're obsessive." She picked up her spoon.

"I care," Draco corrected.

Sarah watched their interaction slightly amused. She noted the small smile on her friend's face as she ate. Kylie did not seem to be aware of Draco's lingering arm on her shoulders. However, it seemed that she could ignore the stares—now glares—and eat in peace. _"He's cleverer than I gave him credit for," _Sarah thought. It appeared as if she did not have to worry about her friend anymore when it came to eating. However, she stilled planned on paying Pansy a visit.

"Ano… Sarah…" The cunning witch's focus snapped back to Kylie. "You're smirking, and it's really creepy… The last time you had that expression, someone was sent to the hospital." Noticing the slightly freaked look Draco wore, Sarah had to hide her amusement.

"That situation was not my fault. I merely forgot the spell to calm the tree down."

"… Yeah… right…" Kylie muttered, and then shoved a spoonful of soup into her mouth. Draco, on the other hand, stared incredulously at her. "Anyway, I guess I should properly introduce you." She turned to the Slytherin, scratching her head with a nervous smile etched on her face. "I talk about you from time to time, so it's only right that I introduce you two." Sarah almost rolled her eyes. It was more like _most of the time_. "This is Sarah Simmons. She's been my friend from the very first year."

"It's a pleasure." Draco nodded his head in greeting.

"Indeed it is," Sarah rejoined. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement. The cunning Ravenclaw mentally smirked. "Well, if you will excuse me, I have to relieve myself."

"You know… I could have done without the image, but okay," Kylie said, and then continued eating.

At ease at the sight of her friend finally eating the way she's supposed to, Sarah smiled and stood. She then walked away. Her destination was the restroom. Now would be the perfect time to initiate her time with Pansy Parkinson. The girl had left her table. Judging by the way she was alone, she must have been going to the restroom—the one closest to the Great Hall. How lucky… She hadn't been expecting this confrontation to happen so soon after she thought of it. Sarah silently followed behind Pansy. The Slytherin witch was completely oblivious of her quiet watcher.

Sarah waited a few moments before entering the restroom. Pansy was now washing her hands. Her eyes were focused on the task. It was pathetic. One should _always_ be aware of their surroundings, especially someone like her. But then again, the witch probably thought no one could touch her. How foolish it was to think that. "Hello, Pansy." The Slytherin witch gasped and looked up. Sarah assumed she saw her reflection in the mirror.

"You…?" She turned around, looking a bit confused. "What do you want?"

"I'd like to have a discussion with you, Pansy."

The Slytherin witch was quiet for a moment. She then gave an arrogant snort before turning her back on Sarah. "Sorry, I don't speak to people who are of lesser status." A smirk crossed the Ravenclaw witch's face. She had a sneaking suspicion that Pansy would respond this way. And that is just what she had hoped for. Situations like this weren't as much fun if the victim—person—did not have a little fear in them. Pansy turned around again, finished with drying her hands. However, Sarah had remained in the same spot with the same eerie smirk on her face. The Slytherin witch swallowed nervously. The Ravenclaw witch observed this and stepped closer. In reaction to this, Pansy shifted back. "What are you still doing here? I've dismissed you if you hadn't noticed."

Sarah took another step forward, then another, and then another. By this time, Pansy's lower back was against the sink. "You know… When people look at me, they don't see much—expression, that is. Only a few have ever seen how I look when I'm truly amused." Quicker than Pansy could register, Sarah rushed forward, her face mere inches from hers. The Slytherin gasped and jerked back in surprise. The, surprisingly smiling, Ravenclaw clutched Pansy's chin, pulling her forward. She showed teeth. Pansy's eyes widen in fear. "You are one of two who has ever seen this expression—congratulations."

"Wh-What…?"

Pansy's head slammed against the mirror. However, it was not enough for to break it. Though, it still hurt like hell. The Slytherin winced at the pain. She stared in disbelief at the twisted girl. She most definitely could not believe this was happening to her. "I don't like wasting time, Pansy, so I'm going to be as frank as I can." Sarah moved her free hand up and caressed the witch's face in an ironically gentle manner. "You and all of your little friends need the stop the glaring, and before you or they even conjure up the thought—bullying should not happen either."

"What—I don't understand what you're talking about!"

"You don't think I've noticed your looks toward Kylie. I don't like it, so you should stop before things turn ugly." Sarah released Pansy and stepped back. She turned her back to the Slytherin witch and moved toward the exit. "And you had better stop others from glaring as well."

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"I do not know and I do not care, but you better figure it out or else…" Sarah turned her head slightly, giving an unreadable look. "You will find out how much bigger of a bully _I_ can be. Have a nice nightmare."

And with that last sentence, Sarah was gone, leaving behind a shaking Pansy Parkinson.

0~0

"_Ahhhh_…!" Kylie rubbed her belly in delight. "I ate so much—_hm_, so full!" Draco smiled at her actions. The two had walked to their dorm _together_. It was a big improvement since they first moved in together. It had been extremely awkward in the beginning—most likely because of what the room looked like. The rest of the dorm was relatively normal, but the room that had to sleep in was… a bit ghastly. It was filled with shades of red, yellow, gold, and… pink. Kylie's remark of the room looking like 'Valentine's Day threw up in here!' was quite accurate, despite the hyperbole. They had immediately changed those disgusting colors to shades of blue, green, and—compromised on white. That color scheme fit them more than Valentine's Day's regurgitation. However, they could do nothing about the shape of the bed. It was still heart-shaped with a silk canopy of all things. No wonder Kylie had made Draco sleep on the floor.

"I've never seen a witch eat so much," the Slytherin wizard commented. Kylie only chuckled and said something about 'coming from America.' She sat up and watched him. Her stare sent shivers up his spine. Unaware of this, the witch continued to stare. "What is it?" Kylie finally looked away, almost as if she was embarrassed.

"I wasn't going to say anything, but… you can sleep in the bed now." Draco was tremendously ecstatic about it, but he still had to ask why. "Well, it's kinda not fair that you have to sleep on the floor just because you're a guy. I mean, it's not like I don't trust yo-" The Slytherin teen was already sitting in the bed beside her. Kylie pursed her lips together. Okay… That was weird. "Besides," she looked into his eyes. "I can't stay asleep without you."

Draco kept silent for a few moments. This slightly unnerved Kylie because of the blank stare she was receiving. Of course that would be the type of response she would get. Although they were friends, the thought must have seemed a bit wacky to him. Just as she was about to take back what she said, Draco began speaking. "You really have to watch what you say around me, Kylie." He leaned in closer. The witch did not move away, however. "Especially when it gets harder to control myself." Slowly, he drew his hand up. He touched her cheek.

"I…" Kylie cleared her throat and moved back. "I meant… In the middle of the night, you always get into the bed, anyway, and in the process you wake me up."

"But… I'm always on the floor in the mornings…"

"I wake up half annoyed and untangle myself from you. I then take your spot on the floor, only to have you follow me minutes later. I guess you've claimed me as your teddy bear, _eh_?" It was then that she noticed his flushed face. "Hey, hey…! There's no need to be embarrassed! I totally understand how you feel. I used to sleep with a stuffed rabbit and I stay asleep without him. It was because he reminded me of home. My guess is that I must smell like something in your home…?"

"It's nothing… Just forget about it."

"Come on, Draco! Tell me what I smell like!" She said this in such a teasing manner, so she had not expected his type of response.

"Bliss."

"… _Eh_… right…" Kylie muttered. _"I keep forgetting he's a bit of a playboy," _she thought. "Anyway," she continued, putting his answer in the back of her mind. "You can sleep in the bed or not."

"Will do."

"I'm going to take my bath now. I'll try to hurry this time, so you don't have to wait till midnight or something like that."

"We could just take a bath together," Draco suggested, smirking. The witch froze in the middle of picking up a towel. "After all, you do trust me enough to sleep with you, right?"

"I think there's a bigger difference between taking a bath together and sleeping together—a gigantic difference, actually."

"In Japan, it's considered normal."

Kylie blinked, surprised that Draco Malfoy knew of that information. Most students at Hogwarts were either too caught up in magic or the theoretical war against old Voldy. They did not feel they had time to know of anything else outside the world of magic. She was curious to know how he found out. "A valid point," she admitted, turning to face him. "However, that only applies to same gender and families. Since we are neither, it would be quite inappropriate." Draco looked almost disappointed. "But how did you know?"

"I have my sources," was his haughty response.

"… I'm… sure you do."

The two were in an awkward silence for a moment.

"If you're not out in thirty, I'll come in."

"You wouldn't…"

"Try me."

0~0

Draco continued to dry his hair as he walked into the bedroom. He had just returned from bathing. He had remained in there longer than normal. He had been thinking about many—actually, he was only thinking of a few things, Kylie Colman being at the top of his list. The witch was stubborn and dense, making it difficult to speak with her. Honestly, Draco did not know how to approach her. Apart of him wanted to tell her the truth—to tell her of his Veela blood. However, judging by the way she acted last time, the truth wasn't such a good idea. To think that she would actually erase her own memory of that encounter just to deny it was… drastic. Draco would have to be cautious about this affair.

The Slytherin youth pulled the towel from his head as he stared at the ground. Kylie's parents' words were getting to him as well. They had told him not to drag this courting phase out—to hit Kylie with strong, hard evidence. That task was proving to be quite hard. There was no concrete evidence proving his lineage. He doubted the Ravenclaw would believe him if he told her what was happening to his mind because of her. Draco finally looked up, wondering why Kylie had not said anything to him yet. He was practically naked, after all. With only a towel wrapped around his waist, it left little to the imagination.

Kylie was sleeping. Once again, she had fallen asleep with a book in her hands. "Ravenclaws…" Draco muttered, smirking. He walked over to the side of the bed, tossing the damp towel over his shoulder. As he moved closer, he noted the furrowed brow and the frown. Even in her dreams, she was not at peace. Draco lightly pushed the witch's bangs from her forehead. His fingers lightly brushed her skin. Kylie breathed in deeply, unconsciously reacting to the contact by moving closer. Her face softened, feeling the lingering touch of her watcher. This caused the teen wizard to smile. He hand slowly moved down to her cheek, and then further to her neck. His thumb tenderly rubbed her bottom lip. He almost wished she would wake up and discover his guilty pleasure. It was only thing he could do to quell his desires somewhat. Touch her while she slept, creepy, he knew, but absolutely necessary. Without this ritual of sorts, he would most likely break down and/or attack Kylie—willingly or not.

Slightly satisfied, Draco pulled back. He couldn't spend the entire not doing it. Chances are, day would come and he really would be discovered. Quickly and quietly, he changed into his night attire. The Slytherin student decided to finish his homework in the morning before classes started or in Snape's class if he did not wake up early. Draco slowly pulled the large book from the teen's hands. She moved a bit, yet did not wake. He set the book down on the floor before attempting to climb into bed with her. He, however, halted his movements. The wizard smirked before removing his shirt. Tossing on the floor, he moved to become situated besides the witch. She sniffed lightly and as expected moved her body to accommodate his.

Draco shuddered. Her fingers were pressed against his chest. They were _cuddling_! The male teen released a breath and relaxed. He pulled the girl's ponytails out, letting her hair free to fall against the pillow. He ran his fingers through her hair, combing out tangles. "It would be so easy," he murmured, pressing his nose and lips again her cheek. "… to kiss you when you're so vulnerable." The young wizard moved his feet closer to Kylie, wanting to tangle his legs with hers. The witch twitched in her sleep, causing Draco to move more cautiously. This, however, only further irritated the Ravenclaw. Her brown eyes snapped open.

"Not a-freakin'-gain, Dragon!"

Kylie shoved Draco off of the bed, completely oblivious that he was awake. She shivered and rubbed her feet, trying to warm them up again. It was like that every single night. Draco would climb into bed with her in his sleep and practically harassed her with his ice cold feet. She would definitely have to make sure he wore socks since she now allowed him to sleep in the bed with her. Kylie blinked, realizing something. She had allowed Draco to-oh crap... Slowly, the girl turned her head to see a slightly aggravated expression on the Slytherin student's face. "What was that?" The male sat up and rubbed his back.

"Gomen…"

"Is that why I _really_ always end up back on the floor?"

"_Eheh_…" Kylie grinned nervously. She noted the less than amused frown on Draco's face. "What do you expect me to do? Your feet are like icicles! Sorry if my reaction was normal!" The Slytherin teen stood, causing Kylie to quiet down. She frowned as he drew closer to the bed. "Don't get mad at me!"

"I'm not angry…" He sat on the bed with his back to her. "If it's a serious problem, then I'll fix it. You could have said something sooner."

"… For some reason, I find myself not wanting to upset you," Kylie muttered, looking away again.

Draco turned and saw her sudden meekness. Kylie's surprisingly docile nature toward him was expected, however. He had not been the only one to change it seemed. According to his father, both the Veela and intended transform in mutually body and mind. Though, their change seemed to be coming at a much slower pace than his great grandparents. Since his dormant Veela blood had awakened—since he found his mate—his body had not change like his mind did. Surely Kylie's body had not changed either. The changing of the body was apparently the last step before the two were ready to bond. He would have to wait, but until then…

The teenaged wizard reached over and grabbed the young witch's chin. She narrowed her eyes as if questioning his actions, yet did not pull away. "Your worries are unnecessary. I'm not upset." A faint redness settled on Kylie's cheeks. Draco released her before he did something that he could not control. "I suppose I'll continue sleeping on the floor, then?"

"No!" Startled, Draco did nothing to stop her from grabbing his foot and putting it against hers. Her face contorted and twisted at the contact. "Seeeeee…? I can endure!"

"Sure you can," he chuckled, pulling his foot from her grip. "But if you really want me to sleep with you then I guess I have no choice."

"Now wait just a-" By that time, Draco had already returned to a horizontal position beside her. He was under the covers and had somehow managed to put the fire out. "Well, you put an end to that argument, didn't you?"

"I learn fast."

"I see." Kylie hesitantly moved her body under the warmth of the covers as well. She had her back to Draco, making sure to keep her feet clear from his. The Ravenclaw witch slowly closed her eyes and attempted to fall asleep again. Key word—attempted. She felt his arm wrap around her torso and pull. Her eyebrow twitched, feeling slightly agitated that her body betrayed her and lightened up against his touch. It had been doing that a lot lately. It was all too weird, but she had been too busying agonizing over not eating to really worry about it. Now she could question it with a reasonable mind.

If she remembered correctly, the closeness of her and Draco's relationship had began once they moved in together. His touches were simple like pats on the head or taps on the shoulder. When had it advanced to something like this? And why on Earth was she allowing him to hold her much like her father did with her mother? The witch mentally shrugged, figuring she did not really care. She was oddly comfortable around the Slytherin, which is probably the reason she allowed him so close.

Faint breaths on her neck indicated that Draco had already fallen asleep while she had been mulling over the recent turn of events. "Nande…?" She didn't quite understand while the young Malfoy had taken a sudden interest in her, but she was… glad for it. Everyone believed that Draco was a mean asshole who cares for nothing and no one. But that was not true. Really, he was sweet—kinda funny—and a gentleman, too. Kylie yawned snuggled deeper into her pillow. _"No wonder his fan base is so large."_

0~0

"Why didn't he **wake me up**?" A screamed echoed through the hallway as did fast-paced footsteps of one tardy student. The running Ravenclaw took one hair tie from her mouth and began tying up half of her hair. She did this as she ran, which was very stupid of her, but hey—she had already raced up and down stairs while putting socks and shoes on, so she was sure she was out of danger.

She was dead wrong.

The door to the Great Hall suddenly opened. Kylie could only exclaimed nonsense before she slammed right into the heavy door. She fell to the ground choking. Her other hair tie threatened to cut off her breathing. Finally, she hacked out the hair accessory. It was wet and unusable. "NANDE…?" Kylie screamed, standing up. She was met by the bewildered face of Harry Potter. "… Shimata…"

"Hey, you're… just the person I wanted to speak with," the boy wonder said. Kylie blanched at his direct words. Why was she 'just the person' that needed to be talked to? She and Harry had absolutely nothing to do with each other. And there was no way she was giving information on Cho Chang—not a-effin'-gain! She spent half of her second year relaying information to boys on the popular Ravenclaw. She'd be damned if she had to do it again.

"Sorry, but I'm hungry, so maybe never!" Kylie was about to open the door, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"It will just be a moment," Harry replied, dragging the Ravenclaw away from the doors. Kylie mentally cried a river as she moved further and further away from breakfast.

Once Harry thought it was far enough from the delicious-smelling breakfast, he stopped pulling her. Kylie glared at him. How dare this boy—super wizard extraordinaire or not—pull her away from a meal? The irritated teen witch crossed her arms. "Well, what is it?" Harry did not respond right away. "Either talk talking or my wand is going straight up your a-"

"What is your relationship with Draco?" Kylie almost tilted her head. Odd… She was sure that Harry Potter usually called the Slytherin by his last name. "You're sharing a room with him, right?"

"Yeah… but we're just… working on a project together… yeah…" To be perfectly honest, Kylie still had no idea what type of project it was. Master P hadn't been too clear on the details. The whole thing was a bit fishy. No one else in the class had to live with their partners for the rest of the year. "Why do you want to know?"

Harry shrugged, almost causing Kylie to growl. If the matter wasn't such a big deal, then why go through the effort of pulling her away from food? Luckily, boy wonder started speaking again. If he had not, the witch would have surely strangled him. "I suppose I'm a bit curious. Rumors spread fast and they say you two are… dating?" Kylie snorted at the very thought of dating the young Malfoy. "So you don't like him, then?" She snorted again.

"Are you kidding me? There's no way we'd date each other," she replied. "And like him—in that way—the image is absurd! I'm not even attracted to him! He doesn't even have abs!" Kylie laughed, getting a mental image of Draco Malfoy without a shirt. Sure, the Slytherin was definitely cute and/or adorable, but not attractive in the least. Well, at least not to Kylie. Yup, there was definitely no attraction between them.

"_Ah_, I see… That's a relief."

"And why is that a relief?"

The Gryffindor's face flushed a deep red before turning away. "No, it's nothing," he muttered, turning his back to her. Kylie rolled her eyes and decided she didn't care about his reaction. "Anyway, I'll see you later, I guess." Kylie's eyes narrowed as she watched Harry disappear down the hallway, probably heading off to class early. Wonder boy had an image to uphold, after all.

"God, I hope not." The teen witch turned and went the opposite way, going back to the Great Hall. "Seriously, why the heck did he want to talk with me? That was a pointless conversation." Kylie opened the door and went in. Her brown eyes scanned the room, looking for her friend. Originally, she had wanted to yell at Draco for not waking her up, but there was always class time to do that.

Spotting her friend, sitting alone at the Ravenclaw table, Kylie stalked over and sat down. Ignoring Sarah's arched brow for a moment, Kylie began to pile copious amounts of food onto her plate. "Okay… Why exactly do you only have one ponytail?" The brown-eyed girl didn't answer. "Seriously, Kylie, you look ridiculous."

"Is that why everyone is staring?" she sarcastically responded.

"No, not really."

"Then it doesn't matter. They stare anyway."

"At least tie your hair up normally."

"Yes, ma'am." Kylie yanked out the hair tie and quickly tied her hair back up with one high ponytail. It was sloppy. Hair strands—short and long—framed her face. She pushed her strands of hair behind her ear so that they could not disturb her as she ate. Nothing was going to stand in the way of her eating. She had a time limit to beat. Though it was a bit weird that she didn't feel as bad as she did yesterday. Since living with Draco Malfoy, an annoying feeling in the pit of her stomach had prevented her from eating. However, now she could finally eat in peace. At the moment, she didn't care for the reason of not having people glaring at her.

"_Hm_…" However, it was ignored. Letting a smirk cross her face for a fleeting moment, Sarah laced her fingers together. Her elbows were pressed against the table. The taller girl leaned forward a bit. "So, tell me, Kylie, what do you think of Draco Malfoy?" Her friend stopped chewing for a second, but then started up again, only giving a shrug of indifference to answer. "Do you find him deliciously… hot?" Sarah got the reaction she was looking for. Kylie choked on her food. The witch banged on the table several times, trying to get the food down. Her eyes watered from the strain, but finally she managed to swallow.

"Wh-Wh-What?" she sputtered out.

"You're living with him, are you not? I'm sure you've seen parts of him that other girls would kill to see."

"They're not missing anything."

"Oh…?"

"Yes, Draco is… not what I call… hot—not in the least."

"I see." Sarah closed her eyes and a small smile appeared. "Poor Draco hasn't matured enough yet. I do wonder which of you will transform first. For his sake, it should be him. But it would be quite amusing if you were to change first."

"What the… hell are you talking about?"

"Oh, nothing."

"You know what? I'm going to ignore you and eat before I run out of time."

"That would be wise." Sarah opened her eyes to stare as her friend devoured her meal at a quick pace. _"My, my… Kylie Colman, you are quite the dense little witch."_

0~0

Kylie covered a yawn while listening to her professor drone on and on about important dates and names that the class needed to remember. History of Magic was a class in which every day was the same. Professor Cuthbert Binns would read his notes and textbooks to the class, completely oblivious that most of his class was sleeping or chatting away, ignoring what he was saying. Even Kylie, being the studious Ravenclaw that she was, had a hard time paying attention to the teacher's dreadfully boring voice. And the fact that the man was a _ghost_ did not help students worry about paying attention either.

Luckily, she had read over the text yesterday night before falling asleep, so she could basically do whatever she wanted for this class period. Usually, Draco was beside her this period, trying to coax her into talking. Today, however, he was not. The reason…? She had yelled at him in Snape's class for not waking her up. His argument was that she looked too cute and comfortable to wake up so he didn't. Problem was that he said this loudly, causing the whole class to hear. Everyone, including the professor, let out a chuckle or a snicker. It was beyond embarrassing, so she forbad the Slytherin to speak with her. This only made Draco start making animalistic noises again. For example, he whimpered much like a dog would after being scolded, and then he snarled and growled at anyone who tried to talk to him after class was over.

_"He's such a strange person…"_ Kylie thought, shifting her eyes over to the blond. His grey eyes were still on her. He looked like he was in pain—no, a sad puppy actually. Kylie's brown eyes returned to her notebook. _"Nope, not going to fall for puppy eyes—I refuse!"_ The witch frowned when she heard Draco release another growl from his throat. Even his usual posse stood clear away from him because of this. In this class, the Ravenclaws were surprisingly outnumbered. Most of the class consisted on Slytherin students. Last year, it had been different. Kylie only recognized four of those Slytherins, but only because she hadn't met the rest before. There was Draco Malfoy, of course, Pansy Parkinson, Crabbe and Goyle. Really, she could care less about what the last two idiots' full names were.

The only reason she 'cared' about the witch was because she was now boring holes in the back of her head. Kylie could bet that she was trying very hard to melt her brain. With a sigh, she closed her eyes. She hardly noticed it before, but now it was aggravating her. Finally, Kylie torn out a piece of paper and scribbled a message on it. 'If you have something to say, then say it to my face,' is what she had written. She folded the paper four times before laying it on the desk. Her desk partner, who happened to be her rival, Cho Chang, turned around at the sound of crinkling paper. Her big, _beautiful_ eyes stared at her in interest. Kylie snorted mentally as she took out her wand. The popular Ravenclaw had never taken interest in her before. Only now that she had moved in with Draco did her eyes occasionally stray towards her. Murmuring a certain spell on the paper, afterwards, Kylie watched the paper spring to life. It shot into the air, hovering for a moment, and then soaring toward Pansy's head. The Ravenclaw student grinned, wickedly, hearing the Slytherin witch yelp at being hit in the face.

After a few short moments, Pansy came stomping over. She slammed her palms against the desk, causing everyone in the room to look over. Still, the professor continued with his lecture. "How dare you act so high and mighty?" Kylie raised a brow before looking up at the teen witch. She was apparently angry. Kylie really couldn't tell which—the note or the note hitting her nose—had caused her to snap. The teen mentally sighed before putting on a smile.

"What do you want, Pansy? You've obviously have something to say, so please ask away so that we may get on with our lives."

"Do you like Draco?"

Kylie stared at her blankly. Why was it that people kept asking her how she felt about Draco Malfoy? They were just friends for crying out loud. They were working on some type of project for Master P. They absolutely did not find each other attraction in anyway. True, Kylie liked to think of herself as cute—hell, on occasion Sarah would call her adorable—but she was sure her looks were not up to Draco's standards. But then again Pansy wasn't exactly extraordinary either. Kylie mentally shook her head. She was getting off subject again. "No," she replied. "I do not." Pansy looked taken aback at the nonchalant tone. Kylie twitched. She had better come up with something before Pansy interpreted her words as an insult to the Slytherin prefect. "Look, Draco is not my type, alright?"

"Then what is your type?"

"_Huh_…?"

"Your type. You're either lying about liking Draco or you're a bloody idiot, so tell me what your type is!"

Kylie felt a bit trapped. First of all, Pansy's logic was flawed. Second, everyone had their eyes on her, waiting for her response. She was uncomfortable with the attention. And when Kylie Colman gained unwanted attention, she panicked and blurted out the first thing that came to her mind when she spotted a student wearing pants about two sizes too big for him. "Longbottoms!" she exclaimed. Pansy, as well as the rest of the class, looked perplexed at her outburst. "I—I mean, Longbottom… Niville—no, Neville Longbottom…" Kylie coughed, trying to cover up her bad lie. "My type is… guys like Neville Longbottom."

A hushed silence fell over the class. Kylie sank in her seat, scolding herself. She should have just denied having a type all together. But no, she just had to bring some random stranger into this. Thanks a lot, guy wearing big pants! Pansy let out a haughty laugh. Kylie rolled her eyes. Her laugh was more like shrieking than laughing. "By Salazar, something is truly wrong with you! Longbottom…? You're a bit mad, aren't you?" Trying to keep herself from doing something even more idiotic, Kylie remained silent and kept the fake smile on her face. Pansy's expression changed from amusement to fury. She just couldn't win. "But that doesn't explain why you and Draco are so close," she stated, narrowing her eyes.

"_Eh_…?"

"Don't play dumb with me, even though it suits you!" Kylie looked mildly offended. "I want to know why you are currently living with Draco!" The Slytherin teen's face was red. This question must have been bothering her for awhile. Now, she was given a chance to explode, and explode she did. "Why is it that some average _nerd_ gets all of Draco's attention? What makes you so special?"

"That's… none of your business," Kylie calmly stated. Oh darn, the impassiveness of Sarah was starting to come out.

"Draco is my friend! I'm _making_ it my business!"

"Oh really…? If he's really your friend, don't you think he would have told you? I mean, I was quick to tell _my friend_ about my living arrangements."

That, apparently, was the last straw for Pansy. She hissed in fury before grabbing Kylie by the collar. She hoisted her up out of her seat. "You stupid little git! Because of you, Draco is ignoring me and your rapid friend has set her sights on me!" The angry girl pulled out her wand. "I should hex you into oblivion, you worthless piece of-" However, Pansy did not finish her insult. She was forced to release Kylie, causing her to drop to the floor. Meanwhile, Pansy was flung into a wall. The class gasped and Kylie looked around, trying to locate the one responsible for the spell.

Her eyes landed on Draco Malfoy. He looked absolutely livid. His arm was still outstretched with his wand still poised. A few of the students ran over to Pansy. One had said she was unconscious. However, Kylie's focus was solely on Draco. His steely grey eyes remained on his supposed friend, daring her to move again._ "He… looks kinda cool,"_ she thought. Slowly, she stood. "Dr-Draco…" His eyes flickered over to her, and for a moment, she felt a shiver course through her body. "Why did you do that?" He dropped his arm, eyes moving from to Pansy several times.

"She hurt you. Friend or not—_that_ is intolerable."

"I… I see…"

"So… are we just going to leave her here or take her to the Hospital wing?"

The voice of the random student was ignored. The class was much too focused on what the two in the middle of the classroom would do next. Draco moved toward Kylie. He took her hand and lightly kissed the flawed skin. Her hand had painfully skidded against the wood floor when she fell, and blood had seeped through the tiny cuts. Somehow, he had noticed right away. "No one can hurt you," he murmured. His tongue slithered out and slid against her flesh, wiping the blood away. Kylie wanted to be disgusted, but somehow her face had not moved the way she wanted it to. She hadn't even pulled back! Draco was the first to pull away, grey eyes locked on her brown ones. "I'll protect you until the day I die." Stunned, Kylie could only nod her head unconsciously.

"Seriously, guys, I think something's broken!"

And Professor Binns continued teaching, unaware of the altercation that had just taken place.

0~0

I must say that after seeing how many people favored this story made me quite happy, and so I will continue this. Perhaps, I'll even be more serious about it than I originally planned. So thank you to all who reviewed and/or added this story to your favorites. I appreciate it and hope to see your reviews in the future.


	5. Affection

"NANI…?"

Kylie Colman was not happy at the moment. Here she was, standing outside of the King's Cross Station. She leaned against the inside of the telephone booth, glaring daggers outside. Those who happened to see her expression ran in terror because it was oh, so scary. Kylie breathed deeply, trying to control her rage. She had gotten off the train almost twenty minutes ago. About four minutes ago is when she started to freak out a bit. Her parents had not come to get her yet and so, like any sensible person, she called her parents to see what the holdup was. This is why she had a hard time controlling her fury.

"No, no, just listen to me right now! Do know where I am? I am outside of the train station _in the freezing cold_, waiting for you guys to come get me! And you have the nerve to say you're not coming? Do you know how many children I've scared away with my face in the last five minutes?" The witch breathed heavily as she listened to her father try to explain. "No, no, no! Sarah is gone! I can't just leech off her family!" Again, she listened. "What the heck am I supposed to do then, _huh_? Just sit here and freeze while you and mom and tanning it up in Florida?" She growled lowly as her father once again tried to calm her down. "You know what, dad—_fine_! I'm just going to whore myself off for a place to sleep for the holidays!" Her face twisted in rage her dear father's response. "You have a merry-fucking-Christmas, too, ya stupid son of bit-" Kylie slammed the receiver down before she finished her sentence. Hissing in anger, she slammed open the door to the phone booth, walked out, and the grabbed her luggage. She cursed her parents under her breath as she pushed her luggage away from the telephone booth.

0~0

Jack Colman's eye twitched, hearing the dial tone from the other side. Slowly, he set down the receiver, and then turned to his wife. He opened his mouth. "Well, she took the news better than expected…"

"Shocking," Debra blinked, not catching the sarcasm. "So, should I bring the bikini or the one-piece?"

"… Definitely the bikini."

0~0

The young witch released a sigh, and then slammed her mug against the bar table. Stupid parents and their stupid vacation, she thought. Frowning, she rested her chin against the wooden counter. "This sucks," she murmured. Kylie had ventured back into the magical world and settled at the Three Broomsticks Inn. Currently, her things were near the door. She supposed she could go back to school; however, it took nearly forever to push her things to this place. A bit of rest was in order. The place was crowded with students already. They were kids who were abandoned by their parents, like she had been. "Oi…! Bartender, I want another BB!"

Madam Rosmerta, a popular crush among teen wizards, glided over to her. "I think you've have one to many, Miss Colman," she told her. Kylie narrowed her eyes and shoved her glass forward. "Well, alright—it's not like it can hurt you... but in your case, it just might." The attractive woman poured the young witch another glass of ButterBeer. "But I seriously think you've had enough."

"I'll _tell_ you when I've had enough."

Kylie stared at the liquid inside her glass for a moment before taking a huge gulp. She heard Rosmerta sigh before walking away to mind the other guests. The witch pulled out a book from her coat pocket. Her eyes scanned over the words of the title. This little book was picked up a few years back. One of the Weasley twins had given it to her as a reward for pulling a prank—that's what _they_ called it, anyway—one of the professors during her second year. She hadn't really thought about using it… until now, that is. The book was called _How to Not Get Caught_. Yes, it was an original title that George or Fred got a kick out of. In the book, it listed spells to cast on unsuspecting teachers or parents. Apparently, many professors were looking for its whereabouts—especially Severus Snape. Anyhow, Kylie had never had such a burning desire to actually use it before. The witch groaned lightly before placing it back in her pocket. No—those two would probably know it was her. Her parents would logically deduce that she had a motive, and then she'd be on a strict punishment _again_.

"Nobody knows the trouble I've seen…" The witch hiccupped, and then continued to sing. "Nobody knows my _sorrow_." Her voice grew deeper and deeper as she sang.

"Kylie…?"

The teen slowly turned around. Through half-closed eyes, she saw a familiar shape. The teen witch blinked. Wow, she must've had a _very_ low tolerance for alcohol, considering she only had about seventeen glasses. She hiccupped again. "Who the heck are you?" she drawled out. The figure stepped closer. "Hey, you, I'm a tenth degree black belt! Don't try anything funny!"

"Are you… Are you drunk by any chance?"

"_No_," she replied, indignantly. Quite unceremoniously, Kylie fell off her stool. To her surprise, she was caught. Sighing, she looked up at her savior. "Hey! Maybe I wanted to-_hic_-kiss the floor!"

"I doubt that," the person—most likely male—chuckled as he helped her to stand.

"Who are you?" Kylie asked again, holding onto the wizard's coat.

"… We have the same class together…" Kylie only gave him a blank look, causing the boy to sigh. "It's me—Neville Longbottom, I sit right behind you."

"Oh yeah!" she exclaimed. She then turned with a confused expression on her face, mouthing 'I don't know this person!' Rosmerta sighed and shook her head. The older witch went back to cleaning glasses. Kylie turned back around to face the Gryffindor. "So what are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same question. I thought you had left with your friend."

Kylie raised an eyebrow before releasing him. What exactly was this boy, who she did not know, thinking about her whereabouts in the first place? Whatever, she did not really care at the moment. She was still very angry with her parents for deserting her at this forsaken school without any sort of warning. But if they had given her a warning, chances are she would have sent them a Howler with her feelings conveyed in a very loud volume. Simply writing would not be enough. Oh great—she was going into another mental rant when she was supposed to be paying attention to reality again. She'd better start focusing or she would miss something. "Wait, wait, wait! I didn't hear a word you said," Kylie interrupted Neville. The wizard, who did not seem to appreciate her honesty, pursed his lips together. He then tried to repeat himself. Kylie merely held up her hand. "Don't bother, I won't care."

Neville sighed heavily and muttered something about rumors and lies. "Well, I guess I'll be going then?"

"Tootles," Kylie batted the air as if she were a kitten. She turned around, pulling a golden coin out of her right pocket. One Galleon should cover what she drank. Kylie did not bother to cover a jaw-popping yawn. She had better get back to the school or else she would probably have to pay more to stay the night. The teen turned only to come face to face—well, face to chest—with Neville. Rubbing her nose, Kylie stepped back and glared. "What? You're still here? Do you need something?"

"Oh, no… sorry… I was lost in thought for a moment," Neville replied.

"Well, can you lose your thoughts somewhere else—thank you," the annoyed witch pushed her fellow Hogwarts students out of her way. She walked over to the door, taking her scarf from the rack in the process. She pushed open the door with her luggage cart, briefly wondering if she would get into trouble for _borrowing_ it. The witch shrugged and kept moving.

Outside, it was snowing. Damn—how she hated the weather. And she just _had_ to leave her wand at school, didn't she. Grumbling to herself, she began her journey to Hogwarts. Stupid parents deserting her like that… Making her spend the entire break at school… Those were just some of the topics she ranted about as she walked. Kylie looked up. The school didn't seem to be any closer than the last time she looked. Sighing heavily, she pushed forward. "I can't wait to curl up in front of the fire and fall asleep! And my parents will get an earful tomorrow when I send that Howler. Stupid parents and their stupid tanning and their stupid vacation and not bringing their precious daughter along with them!" Kylie suddenly sneezed. Stopping, she rubbed her nose. "Stupid winter air," she grumbled.

Unknown to her, there lay a downwards slope on the path. Feeling the weight of the cart suddenly shift violently, Kylie's eyes widen. The cart slipped. Next, she slipped and tumbled over. The Ravenclaw student rolled down the snow-covered hill, along with her items. By the time she stopped rolling, Kylie was fed up. "Nande…?" she shouted at the sky. For a moment, she only looked up, watching her breath become visible. She then closed her eyes and did not move from her position of lying flat on her back. Her body was cold. She did not feel like moving anymore. From where she lay, she could not see her school. Frustrated tears squeezed out of the corner of her eyes. "Worst holiday EVER!"

Her infuriated voice echoed.

0~0

_Warmth…_

She was some place warm. That was odd considering she was sure that she did not move after she fell. _"I see… I must have died."_ The teen froze at the thought. What…? No, she couldn't die yet. That was unfair! What about all the goals she had set for herself? What about moving to Japan? What about escaping the magical world all together? At this point, mental bells began ringing in her ears, forcing Kylie out of her slumber. Her brown eyes shot open, trying to wiggle her way out of the warm spot. However, her body seemed to be against her mind because it did not stray too far. This did not stop the struggle, though.

"Kylie…! Kylie, calm down, it's _me_!" Instantly, the witch stopped moving. She opened her eyes again. Brown locked with grey. Several moments passed until Kylie realized who she was staring at. "I'm glad you're alright." He pulled her closer. Her forehead touched his chest. Kylie blinked three times before opening her mouth.

"Why the hell are we _naked_?"

She felt her captor flinch. "I saved you… This was the only way to warm you up—body heat," he explained. "I sensed that you were distressed and I found you passed out in the snow with your things. I brought you back." He hugged her tighter. Kylie could hear the crackling of flames. They were in bed, wrapped up in covers, near a fire. The two were not completely in the nude as Kylie had previously thought. Really, they were only stripped down to their underwear. "What were you doing out there? I thought you had gone home!"

"You don't have to sound so angry! My parents cancelled my holiday and decided to go on vacation at the last minute. I found that out when I called them!" Kylie grumbled. "And what the hell do you mean by _sensed_, anyway?"

"Exactly as I said."

"I can give a hundred and one reasons why that's impossible!"

"Putting magic into the equation?"

"… Okay… never mind… Magic seems to love contradicting logic, doesn't it?"

The two stayed quiet for a moment. Kylie looked down, slightly embarrassed. She had never been indebted to someone before—not really. "_Ah_… Arigato… Draco," she murmured. The witch felt uncomfortable saying thank you, so it was better to say it in another language. That way, the person may or may not know what she was saying. Silence was her response. Kylie inwardly sighed. That was to be expected, though, a part of her wished he knew what she had said.

"Betsu ni…" he murmured. Kylie's eyes grew wide. "I told you… I'll protect you until the day I die."

A shiver ran through her body. His words made her remember that day. The day he threw Pansy against the wall for hurting her—it was a distant memory that was brought up front. He had said the same thing then. Because of his words, Kylie's mind had gone blank after that. For the rest of the period, she did not follow what was going on. She didn't even know what had happened to Pansy Parkinson. The only thing she knew was that Draco held her hand for the rest of the period. They did not look at one another. They did not speak to one another. They only touched.

His hand gently stroked her cheek. "Nan desu ka?" he asked. Kylie narrowed her eyes and asked him how. Draco smirked, knowing what she wanted to know. "I have my ways," he answered. She frowned, signaling that the answer he had given was not good enough for her calculating mind. Her pout was cute. "Don't worry about it, Kylie. You focus on getting warm. I don't need you dying on me." She scoffed lightly, and then turned her body. Her back was now facing him. Draco rubbed her shoulder. She was… frustrating—her actions definitely were. He was trying to be as subtle and bold at the same time, and yet Kylie had yet to budge. Actually, that wasn't true. Since that incident with Pansy, she had been more open with him. She went as far as to tell him her dreams, which is why he learned the Japanese language and customs in his spare time. It was troublesome, but he would do it for his intended. He would do anything for her. _"But Kylie… I can only do so much… I have needs, too."_ His grey eyes stared at her back for a moment longer, watching her steady slight movements. He turned away, and then moved off the bed.

"Draco… You're staying here for the holidays, too? Do you mind if I…?" Draco turned to her to see that she was holding up one of his shirts. He shook his head in answer. "So your parents didn't want you home either?"

"Yeah… It seems as though they want to rekindle their relationship. In my opinion, they don't need to do that seeing as how they're lovey dovey already." Kylie chuckled as she slipped on his shirt. She suddenly groaned and touched her head. "Did you hit your head? I didn't see any bumps earlier."

"No, it's just a headache." The witch stood, pulling the shirt down as far as if would go. She walked over to the fireplace and sat down on the rug. "I had _one_ too many Butterbeers and apparently a very low tolerance to alcohol." Kylie giggled nervously, and then abruptly stopped. "Don't tell Sarah. She'll kill me if she found out."

"Then I won't tell. You must live on."

"Riiight," Kylie drawled out, staring flatly at the Slytherin. "So what should we do? I've never stayed behind before—_is_ there something to do?"

"There is _something_…" Draco trailed off.

Kylie raised a brow.

0~0

"I _cannot_ believe you've dragged me outside!" The Ravenclaw student shuddered violently, feeling the sudden chill that overtook her body. "Don't you think I'm already traumatized enough?" Draco Malfoy did not respond to her question. For the past twenty minutes, she had asked the same question over and over again—in between her ranting, of course. He probably realized that it was best not to try to argue with her. A smart boy, Kylie thought. She sniffed lightly as she continued to follow him into the white forest. Snow was everywhere. It almost seemed to be worse than when she last saw the outside world. It was surprising that the Slytherin ahead of her knew where he was going. _If_ he knew where he was going, that is. The witch mentally sighed, frowning. And to think, she could be in Florida right now if it hadn't been for her parents deciding things last minute.

However, the weather was not the only reason for her personal tirade. It was the simple fact that on Christmas morning, she would not receive _any_ presents. _"So what if I'm a bit vain—I deserve gifts! I was actually good this year… Well, I wasn't bad!" _Kylie rubbed her hands together in an effort to warm them. _"Besides, what teenager isn't a little vain?"_ She sighed heavily. Her life was not fair. Not only did people not know of her birthday—meaning no presents then—but there was also no Christmas for her this year. "And I was sure that I'd convinced Mom and Dad to buy me a CD player. Those no good parents probably didn't get me anything!" Kylie unconsciously glared down at the ground as she walked. _"I didn't get into trouble not once this year. I don't deserve this treatment! I was actually nice, too!"_ Suddenly, the boy in front her slipped and fell—most likely on snow-covered ice. Kylie blinked and stopped, eyes never leaving Draco's still form. He had fallen flat on his face. Her lips pursed together, but eventually the witch exploded in laughter.

So much for being nice, _eh_?

Kylie held her stomach, complaining how much it hurt to laugh, and yet she continued to guffaw. Draco finally stood. His face was red either from the snow or the embarrassment. He turned sharply towards the girl, causing her to abruptly stop. She grinned cheekily. "Had your fill yet?" he asked sarcastically. Once again, the witch's laughter echoed in his ears. The young wizard upper lip twitched as he dusted off snow. He watched as Kylie repeatedly smacked her knee. She must have known being rude had its consequences, yet she looked surprise when a snowball hit her in the face. She slowly turned to him, more than likely not liking the smug smirk on his face.

Out of nowhere, she charged at him, tackling him to the ground. The two rolled around, fighting for dominance. In the end, it was Kylie on top on the count that Draco had gotten a bit tired. "You're a jerk, you know that?" She narrowed her brown eyes. "If I get hyperthermia, I'm going to devour your soul."

"I'd like to devour you right about now."

"… Wait, what…?"

Quickly, the Slytherin pushed Kylie off and away from him. He stood up, turning his back to her. "Right now, you don't need to know. Follow me—we're almost there." He began to walk again. It took a moment, but Kylie did continue walking behind him. Draco inaudibly sighed. He had said something suspicious in her eyes again, hadn't he? Honestly, he could not help it. He was still reacting to her. His control had gotten a bit better as the weeks went by. However, that control would surely parish if she continued to unpredictably make contact with him. Draco suddenly stopped and turned around. Kylie stared at him blankly. He held out his hand, wanting her to take it. For now, it was best for everyone if he would initiate the touches. Otherwise, his control might break. "Come."

Kylie once again raised a brow. He expected her to take his hand, no questions asked? The teenage witch mentally scoffed. Just who was he kidding? As her roommate, he should know better by now. Hell, Sarah knew within the first five meetings of meeting her. The witch casually glided passed his outstretched hand. "Why don't you just lead the way like normal, _eh_?" She noted the scowl right away. "It's going to get dark soon, so I'd suggest we speed this up." His arm dropped back to his side. Kylie's brown eyes watched Draco pull out his wand from his coat. He stood beside her, looking forward. Unconsciously, the witch stared at his mouth as he chanted some sort of spell. The words were unheard by her ears. Realizing what she was doing was a tad weird, Kylie looked away.

Unexpectedly, the ground began shaking. This made Kylie's focus snap to Draco, assuming that he is the one to cause it. He, however, remained staring ahead of him. The witch's attention turned. To her astonishment, a large spherical boulder was being moved. It was magic. Draco was using magic to move something that wouldn't normally be able to by mere _muggles_. Kylie's eyes widen slightly and her mouth hung agape. There seemed to be a secret passage by the large. It was just like those _Legend of Zelda_ games she was conned into playing one year by one of her American neighbors.

She was snapped out of her memories by Draco, who had grabbed her hand and began to walk into the cave. "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Just where the _heck_ are you taking me?" Her question fell on deaf ears. The teenage wizard continued to drag her, oblivious to her words of protest. The cave was dark, making her wonder how Draco was seeing in front of him. He couldn't of course. It was impossible to see in this darkness. But the Slytherin continued on as if he could see clearly. This would have aggravated the witch, but then Draco casted the _Lumos_ charm. _"So he hadn't seen what was in front of him." _The two came to a stop. She watched the tip of his wand for a moment before her eyes looked beyond Draco. In front of them, there was water. It was possibly a puddle. However, when she looked further, she realized that it had to be a lake. "An in cave lake…?" Kylie murmured. The tunnel that had been traveling in had been expanded. They were now at the edge of that tunnel, staring at a giant lake.

The young Malfoy shifted his gaze to her. He smirked at her fascinated expression. "Come this way," he told her, pulling her in a specific direction. "I discovered this hidden place a few years ago. This is the first time I've returned since then." Draco released her hand and stopped. He stared at her expectedly. "Get undressed."

"… Yeah sure—get undressed… That's what I'm going do," Kylie's sarcastic tone caused him to sigh heavily.

"You see that thing in the middle?" He pointed his wand out. Kylie squinted to see what he was referring to. There, in the middle of the lake, was a small platform. It was rectangular—big enough for a group of five to fit on. "To get there, we have to swim."

"You must be joking! The temperature of the water must be close to freezing!"

"I suppose you wouldn't recognize the shift in temperature since we entered the cave because of all the layers you're wearing."

"… It doesn't hurt to bundle up with this weather."

Draco shook his head. "Because of the creatures living in the water, this cave's temperature is at a constant. No matter what's going on outside, the inside of this place will always be hot. The water here is similar to a… hot spring—perhaps cooler." Kylie hesitantly took off her gloves. Feeling the air, she nodded before taking off the second pair of gloves. She removed her scarf and hat before slipping out of her coat.

"Wow, it really is hot." Sweat ran down her neck. Quickly, Draco looked away. He then began to shed his own clothing until only his boxers remained. His eyes slowly turned back to Kylie. She had not taken off her tank top or her shorts. She wiped the sweat from her brow. "Now what?"

"We're going in, of course." Draco cast the Bubble-Head charm on both of them. The _Lumos_ charm would end within a few minutes. Again, he held out his hand. "Let's go." This time, Kylie did actually take his hand. The two ventured out into the water. Their movements were slow, at first, allowing their bodies to adjust to the temperature. "Ready…?" he asked. Kylie pulled her hand back, and then cracked her knuckles. She nodded her head in answer.

The witch sucked in a large gulp of air before completely submerging herself in the warm water. She slowly opened her eyes. To her surprise, there was a cluster of light in the distance. Curious, she began to swim in that direction. She noted that Draco swam beside her. Getting closer to the cluster, she made out tiny wings bunched together. The wings were glowing and looked similar to the Luna Moth's wings. All of a sudden, Draco's wand went out. The small creatures glowed even brighter. Intrigued, Kylie swam closer again. The young Malfoy did not follow her. She reached out to one of the small creatures. Despite the similarities to the Luna Moth, these creatures' bodies were quite different. Their upper bodies were humanoid, while their lower bodies looked a bit like a fish's tail. _"Beautiful…"_ she thought. Her fingers lightly grazed one of the wings. It was hot—not unpleasantly so, but still incredibly warm. It sent a shiver through her body.

The moment her fingers touched the wing, the other creatures scattered—unknowingly or not—giving her the most beautiful light show she had ever seen. They swam around her, circling her, brushing against her skin. Kylie smiled, feeling her body grow warmer. The yellow illumination from the creatures was positively dazzling. _"Man, I've got an intense urge to sing Under the Sea!"_ Kylie chuckled lightly in her head. The small creatures—she did not know the name of such living being yet—seemed to dance around her, spinning and soaring through the water.

Draco watched his intended swimming around with a smile on his face. Such a sight actually pleased him. Years ago, the sight would have disgusted him. The smile on Kylie's face grew. He knew that she would love it. Apparently, the witch preferred nature over anything. Hopefully, her aspect would change slightly before the end of the school year. Growing impatient, Draco swam over to her, tangling his limbs with hers. For a moment, she appeared to be startled by his presence. Fortunately, she smiled, most likely too enraptured by the _Pyroichthus_ to even think of protesting. They twirled around each other, only to return to their tangled positions. The young Malfoy dragged his cheek against her skin, trying to get as close as the bubble would allow him. Most of his senses were useless now that he was underwater, but the ability to touch hadn't been rendered useless. Kylie seemed very much into touching as well. Her fingers slowly traced his developing muscles, causing his body to quake in anticipation. By Salazar, he wanted to kiss her so badly. It was damn near frustrating how an average girl like Kylie Colman could make him feel this way.

He did not know how long they remained underwater, but eventually they swam toward the surface. Draco watched her for a moment as the charm dissolved, along with his. His hand came up and brushed her wet bangs from her face. She grinned at him before swatting his hand away. "That was amazing…!" Her legs swept against his, trying to stay afloat. The Slytherin student grabbed her wrist and led her over to the platform in the middle of the lake. Without much effort, Draco lifted her out of the water and onto the raised area. Her legs still dangled in the water, though. She laughed out and said she couldn't even see him anymore. Draco pulled his wand from the elastic band of his boxers and casted the _Lumos_ spell again. "That's better…" She slicked his hair back.

Draco grinned as he pushed himself from the water. Because of his previous position, he forced Kylie on her back when he came out. For a moment, he hovered over her. Kylie, herself, was shocked that she didn't push him away. Water droplets from his face fell on her lips. He leaned closer—so close his lips were near her ear. "Are you captivated?" he asked. His resolute grey eyes returned to gazing at her brown ones. How bizarre, she thought. The first time she had seen these eyes, she felt slightly horrified. Now—she felt her eyelids grow heavy—those eyes were inviting. Quickly, Kylie closed her eyes and turned away. Whatever feeling that had washed over her did not feel all that great… Well, it did, but it was weird.

"What were they?" she asked.

There was a pregnant pause before Draco lied down next to her. "They are called _Pyroichthus_—rare creatures apparently. They only glow when there's little light. I suppose that's what they live down here." He turned his head to her. "You like them?" Kylie continued to stare up at the dark ceiling. She nodded to answer him. This place was nice, considering the weather outside. "Then I'll be sure to bring you here as often as you like." Smiling, the witch turned her head. Once again, their eyes locked.

"I'd like that, Draco."

"Call it a Christmas present—I have nothing else…"

"Well, that makes two of us, ne?"

Draco turned over. Using his elbow as support, he lifted his head and gave Kylie a pointed look. The witch was quick to turn her eyes to the ceiling. "You didn't get me anything? After all I've done?" Kylie grimaced. He sounded as if he was joking, but it still made her feel a bit guilty for who knows what reason. How she _hated_ feeling guilty! She didn't tell him to do this for her? And she darn well didn't play on staying in the magical world this holiday or _any_ holiday for that matter. So what she didn't have a present to give him? It's not _her_ fault. Kylie mentally rolled her eyes. Great, she sounded like an immature child. "You know I came up with this in minutes, right? How strange it is for a Ravenclaw not to come up with something in seconds." The young Malfoy chuckled. Huffing indignantly, Kylie turned to face Draco.

Without any type of warning, she kissed his cheek.

"Merry-fricking-Christmas," she said, and then pulled away. Draco had become completely paralyzed the moment her lips made contact. He lied there on the platform eyes wide and mouth ajar. His ears did not catch the explanation for the kiss, which was she had spotted a mistletoe earlier yet had not say anything 'so don't think nothing of it.' However, her words were lost to him. He didn't even hear the splash of the witch going back into the lake either. All his brain told him was that his intended mate had kissed him—had _initiated_ intimate contact with him. He released fast, shuddering breaths. Draco did not realize that his eyes momentarily changed to a golden color nor did he realize that his incisors briefly elongated.

Or maybe he did—he was bleeding now, after all.

0~0


	6. Temptation

"You're late again, Miss Colman."

Kylie sighed heavily as she placed her bag down. She sat down without a word and blew the hair out of her face. She was not in the best of moods at the moment. And it showed clearly by the indifferent expression on her face. Obviously, the Ravenclaw student expressed that she did not care for the fact that the stern teacher deducted points. Actually, she never cared when points were deducted. Her fellow housemates, however, did care. They glared in her direction for a moment before realizing that Kylie did not and would not respond.

"Now, as I was saying… Today we will be doing things a little differently today. We will discuss the race known as Veela," Professor McGonagall resumed talking to the class. Confused murmurs filled the class as the professor went behind her desk. One student looked absolutely miffed at the topic. His grey eyes glanced in the direction of the one who came in late. It was she who stepped up and asked what everyone was thinking.

"Yo, obaa-chan…! What does Veela have to do with Transfiguration?" Kylie asked, crossing her arms. "It seems weird that you, of all people, are straying from the set curriculum."

"Well, this is a special day, Miss Colman. You, as well as the entire glass, should celebrate," McGonagall said. "This lecture does not require note-taking." A few high fives were exchanged among the students. "However, you will need to pay close attention. I will not tolerant sleeping during my lecture." Everyone knew this remark was directed at Kylie, who looked quite insulted. The teen witch then glowered at the older witch.

"It's not like you let anyone sleep in your class anyway," she murmured. Her desk partner nudged her in the ribs, causing Kylie to wince. "Not funny, Cho-chan!"

The pretty Ravenclaw beside Kylie nearly hissed. "Be silent…! We can't afford to lose more points because of your apparent stupidity!" Kylie merely glared back, opting to keep quiet for now. There would be plenty of time to annoy the perfect Ravenclaw once lunch came. With a huff, both girls returned their attention back to the professor. McGonagall cleared her throat. The Headmaster had suddenly asked her to change her teaching schedule for the sake of two individuals. Although, she could see why he was a bit worried—there had been no progression between the two—but someone else could have put it into their schedule. Transfiguration was much more important than Veela… in her opinion at least. She believed that only the Veela and the mate should know, and judging from the irritated expression on young Draco's face, he was in full agreement. However, the Headmaster had ordered her to do so, and so she would.

"First off, does anyone know anything concerning Veela?" she asked, scanning the room for hands. Immediately, she found one. Of course, it was Hermione Granger. A small smile cracked McGonagall's face. The Gryffindor female seemed to always know something an average student wouldn't. Her personality was refreshing. "Yes, Miss Granger…?"

"Veela are said to be a race of half-human, half-magical creatures. They are something akin to Sirens, which are of Greek myth," Hermione explained. "I heard that these creatures are extremely beautiful women, who entice the opposite gender with supernatural charms. It is said that no man can resist these gorgeous beings. However, when angered, they can transform into something quite deadly—similar to Harpies in appearance. In this state, they can shoot fireballs from their hands."

"Correct, Miss Granger." McGonagall gave a nod of approval. "I'm afraid that is not all the information concerning Veela entails." The girl instantly looked interested. The one who should have been interested rolled her eyes, looking as if she would fall asleep at any moment. The older witch mentally sighed before continuing. "To reproduce, Veela are known to cross-breed with humans. The offspring will gain the beauty and charm from their mother, and the magical abilities from their father." A hand went up. It was Hermione. "Yes, Miss Granger?"

"You said the magical abilities are from the father—what happens if the father is… a muggle?"

"There has been no evidence of a Veela ever cross-breeding with a muggle," McGonagall answered, stoically. Hermione frowned. "Veela choose their human partners based on their genetic makeup." A Slytherin male snorted. "_Genetic_ makeup, Mister Jackson. It may seem arbitrary to the intended mate of Veela, but it is quite precise. Instincts take over completely when the mate is found. You could call it… destiny." Many girls in the room sighed dreamily—as most teenage girls would—while the boys snorted. It did not come as a surprise to her that Kylie let out a snort as well. The girl was like a brick wall. She was skeptic of many things, fate seemed to be included. "Many years ago, Hogwarts housed both a Veela and her mate. Unfortunately, their union did not come for years after graduation."

"Why not…?" Cho asked, curious.

"Not now—I will explain afterwards. The mating ritual is specific. It is common for the intended mate not to know they are being courted until after the fact. To acquire their mate, the Veela has to work hard. Reason being is that the mystical charms they are born with have no effect on their mate. Once the attraction starts for the Veela, there is no going back. It takes absolute willpower not simply take the intended. They restrain themselves for the purpose of first courting their mate."

"How romantic…" A girl cooed. Many boys rolled their eyes. "Why couldn't Veela be _men_?"

"The courting period pauses for a time to allow the Veela to change to fit the… _physical_ needs of the mate. Only the outer appearance changes, though. Next comes the transformation of the mate, himself. These transformations are to ensure that they both meet their expectations and cause their attraction to grow more intense. However, this does not occur until the intended mate initiates personal contact with the Veela."

This tidbit of information was not explained prior to this class. Because of that, Draco Malfoy perked up. _Personal contact_… The words echoed in his head. If that was true, things wouldn't progress with Kylie until she- His thought was cut off. The Slytherin student's hand shot up in the air. His desk partner looked at him weirdly, but he did not care. He had to confirm his suspicions. McGonagall nodded in his direction, signaling that he could ask away. Draco dropped his hand. "What do you mean personal? What sort of contact?" The old woman took her time in answering, much to the Slytherin's chagrin.

"A kiss must be initiated by the intended mate in order for the transformations to take place." Grey eyes widen a fraction. "This kiss could be a simple one—a kiss to the hand would suffice. After that, it is absolutely _vital_ that the Veela and mate have skin to skin contact every day." This was directed solely at Draco, and he knew quite well.

"Why is that?" Hermione asked.

"The Veela could literally tear herself apart because she does not have the contact. Her intended becomes something like a drug. This, unfortunately, almost occurred with the Veela who attended this school. By chance, the two were friends at the time, so skin to skin contact was not abnormal."

Draco felt his energy slipping away. He was more than a little relieved. Fortunately, nothing close to that ever happened to him. Kylie and he shared a room, so it had been easy to touch her—with her knowing or not. This was more information that he knew not of. His father had left things out in his explanation. Was it his intention to do so? He could not say. His father was a very hard man to read. Only his mother seemed to know what was going on in that head. At any rate, Kylie _had_ kissed him. It was during the holiday break. He remembered that day clearly. Draco's grey eyes glanced over in her direction. He had been extremely lucky unlike his great grandmother. Just in first period alone, they had brushed hands a total of twenty times… not that he was counting. If what McGonagall said was true, shouldn't he have changed by now? There was that fleeting change moments after the kiss, but it only lasted seconds. _"Of course… I nearly forget that I am only part Veela. Father did say there would be a few variations."_

"If the Veela and her mate were already attracted to one another, why did it take so long for their union?"

Again, the professor felt the need to have a dramatic pause. Kylie blew the bangs out of her face again, waiting for the answer. She was a bit curious about the topic as well, though she did not show it. It was a bit intriguing to her. Humans behaving like animals… She _did_ always like animals better. "The intended mate was… promiscuous and rambunctious. Although, the attraction between the two was natural, he had many partners while attending Hogwarts. He took advantage of his transformation to gain these partners." The old witch pursed her lips together. Kylie guessed that she taught this guy before. That must have been the reason. The contempt she held in her voice was all too clear. She had heard that tone numerous times from various teachers. She assumed that this mate did a lot of flirting in her class.

Kylie raised her hand, drawing the attention of the entire class. Having her hand up for a subject like this was like an invitation to a debate. Groans filled her ears, yet the Ravenclaw student calmly waited for McGonagall to notice her hand. The popular teen beside her tried, in vain, to bring the girl's arm down. She gave up with a heavy sigh after the professor called on Kylie. "Not to sound disbelieving-" Cho released a snort, as did many Ravenclaw students who had the pleasure of sharing other classes with the witch. "-But I don't believe this. First off, I know that Veela are very attractive, so why didn't this guy jump the girl's bones as soon as she started showing interest in him? The two could have had their little union like _that_!" Kylie snapped her fingers for emphasis. "Secondly, why wasn't any other guy trying to jump her bones? Rape would have been definite."

"Miss _Colman_!" McGonagall seemed embarrassed and infuriated at the same time.

"No, no, no, no, no—you know I'm right! Teenage boys' hormones are already outta control and here strolls in a gorgeous sample, all ripe for the taking? I'm pretty sure a few _tried_." Kylie crossed her arms. "And another thing, if this guy was her destined mate or whatever, I'm sure that she would have been possessive. Like Hermes said-" The witch in question bristled lightly. "-Veela turn into these freaky monster things that throws balls of fire when angered. And last time I checked, jealousy and anger goes hand in hand. SO why exactly does anyone not hear about burned bodies, murder, and psychopathic girlfriends when talking about the history of Hogwarts?" Silence was her answer. "And romantic…? You think it's _romantic_?" Kylie scoffed at the very notion. "If it's fate, then there's no romance involved! MC Gonagall said it herself—the two change to please the other. That is the _most_ selfish thing I've ever heard! I definitely wouldn't be happy with a change in appearance in myself just because some guy doesn't like the way I look now! And I'm pretty sure most girls—well, most _reasonable _girls—would feel the same, right?" Again, the room was quiet. Draco had to stop himself from looking the part of a hurt Veela. "Yeah… I thought so. Now, can we please stop talking about something irrelevant and get back to Transfiguration? I actually like this class… a little bit."

After docking 30 points, Professor McGonagall continued with the lecture.

0~0

Draco scanned the table, looking for Kylie. She had hurried off before he could catch her attention after class. That was usual. She was always in a hurry since she knew lunch was next. Spotting her sitting alone, he quickly made his way over. He sat opposite of her. However, Kylie did not look his way. She stared at her food, frowning. "Itadakimasu!" Relief washed over his body as the witch broke into a smile and began eating. She had to be the only one who was so serious about eating. The Slytherin called her name, causing her to look up. "Oh, Draco, what's up?" she asked.

"Where's Sarah?" he asked.

"Not here yet. I think she had to talk to her professor about something."

_"Perfect," _Draco thought. Now was a time to question Kylie. He had wanted to know for a long time. This was his chance. Grey eyes stared at the witch for a moment. The teen opened his mouth. "Kylie… What do you think of me?" She looked up again, knitting her eyebrows together. What a cute face, he thought. Mentally, he shook his head. He couldn't get distracted now. All this time, Kylie had never _done_ anything. That is to say, she had never behaved the way a normal girl would in his presence. Albeit, Kylie wasn't exactly what some would call normal, she was still a female. It was odd that she hadn't stumbled over words, blushed, or tripped over herself whenever he smiled at her. Most girls did those actions. Kylie hadn't as so much as batted an eyelash. Although they had been living together for a semester, he still did not know what she thought of him.

"What do I think of you…?" Kylie repeated. A nod from Draco told her to go on. "_Hm_… Well, you're nice…"

"Please don't spare my feelings. I _want_ to know the truth."

Kylie shrugged and put her fork down. "You're weird," she replied, bluntly. A pang in the wizard's chest caused him to grimace. "But then again, I suppose I'm weird, too. It's okay, I like weird." A warm feeling make Draco smile.

"So then… You do like me?"

"Of course I do." She looked annoyed. Draco smirked. The source of her annoyance probably had to do with him not letting her eat.

"Alright, one last question. How do I look to you?" Kylie scratched her ear. It was something she did when nervous. He narrowed his eyes and repeated his question, saying it was fine to speak the truth.

"Well, you don't have the worry about me falling for you if that's what you want to know!" Kylie finally blurted out. Draco could literally feel his heart constricting. "You have blond hair—I'm not attracted to that at all. I'm not really feeling the haircut either. You have a 'bird chest' and no abs. You're much too skinny for my taste, too. There's barely any muscle on you. Oh, and your hands are so delicate… like girl hands. Hell, I'd rather have your hands than mine. All in all, your body is not what I call my ideal type." It was as if each word she spoke morphed into a dagger and pierced his heart, digging through his back and front. "So like I said, you don't need to worry about me falling for you. You're too scrawny for me. There's no way I'd fall for you, Draco!" Her last statement was like a boulder crushing the life out of him. She even had the gall to give a brilliant smile as she said the last sentence.

By now, Kylie was wondering why it looked as if Draco was trying desperately to keep his upright position. Before she could question his strange behavior, however, Sarah seemed to come out of nowhere. The apathetic teen sat quietly by her side. She raised an eyebrow, spotting Draco. She turned her emerald green eyes to Kylie. Her friend shrugged, and then paid attention to her food. Sarah glanced back at Draco. "He looks… crushed."

"He does, doesn't he?"

"What did you do?"

"What did _I_ do?" Kylie's tone was incredulously. "He told me to tell him what I think of his looks and I told him the truth. You'd think he'd be happy that I'm not attracted to him." Draco abruptly stood up and moved briskly away, grumbling something under his breath. "What's his major malfunction…?" Sarah only shook her head, feeling a little sorry for the blond. "Anyway, today in Transfigurations, we learned about Veela mating rituals for some reason. Don't you find that's odd?"

"Yes, that is quite odd," Sarah affirmed, sipping her beverage. "I take it you did not consider this to be true?"

"Of course I didn't! There were way too many factors that did not make sense!" Kylie ranted. "Honestly, it'd make a decent _fictional_ fantasy—maybe a comedy, but that's it. I won't believe that it's true."

"It sure looks like it." Inside her mind, however, Sarah tried to remain calm. She thought that something had happened over the holidays between the two, bringing them closer together. The teen twitch mentally scowled. It would appear that even if _something_ may have happen, they were still at a standstill. Sarah tucked a strand of her reddish brown hair behind her ear. She had half a mind to just shout at Kylie. However, she knew that even something like wouldn't get through to her. She had hoped that Draco Malfoy would come to the conclusion that he needed to attack her. Sadly, it didn't look like that would happen. And with Kylie's—probably—harsh words on his appearance, it wouldn't be happening anytime soon. Her friend had a knack for being blunt especially if someone _asked_ her to be. Poor Draco did not look a bit like what Kylie wanted in a man. Sarah knew that her friend wanted muscles, dark hair, and most importantly, abs. Also, her type had to be able to fight—not just brawl fighting either. The reason she was such an advocate about that body type is because she grew up with it. Her father and older brother both had the body type, so in Kylie's eyes, that was appealing. Draco definitely wasn't built like those two were. And until he transformed, he wouldn't be _getting any action_, as Kylie liked to say. "But still… I do wonder what his plan is."

"You say something?"

"No, go back to your gluttonous ways."

"Har… Har… Har…"

0~0

Draco Malfoy was not in the best of moods. _"Did she have to be so bloody bold with her words?" _The Slytherin teen clenched his teeth as he tried to listen to the lecture on… whatever it was Professor Sprout was going on about. It was a bit hard to concentrate at the moment. It had been two periods ago, but Kylie's callous words ran through his mind. The bad thing was that she did not realize what she was doing to him. He gripped his head, closing his eyes. It was all maddening. Truly, how much longer would he have to endure this? And the headache he currently had was doing much to help either.

Suddenly, a hand was placed on his shoulder, pulling him out of his thoughts. His head snapped up and turned. Kylie was giving him a concerned look. "Draco, I've been trying to get your attention for two minutes. Is something wrong?" The wizard closed his eyes for a moment. His hand reached up and gripped hers. Pulling it down, he told her he was fine. "You're lying." She glared as she pressed her fingers against his forehead. "You're sweating. Your face is flushed. You keep grabbing your head. And your speech is slow. Something is definitely wrong with you." Kylie took her hand away. Odd… He felt more miserable than what she described as soon as she pulled away. The witch raised her hand. "Sensei…!" she called, interrupting the professor. Sprout was the only one who allowed Kylie to call her that, he recalled. "Something is seriously wrong with my lab partner. Could I take him to the hospital wing?"

He did not hear the woman answer, but he did feel Kylie lift him off of the stool. With a grunt, she moved his arm over her neck. "For skin and bones, you're pretty darn heavy." Damn, his eyes were becoming blurry. He barely heard Kylie tell the professor that she would be back later to pick up their things. He had no way of knowing when they reached the hospital wing. His senses felt like they were all out of balance. But he did feel his back hit a soft surface. What was this? It felt like he was getting worse. Panting heavily, he could hardly hear the conversation between Kylie and Madam Pomfrey. Whatever they were talking about, the teen witch did not seem to like it. "YOU WANT ME TO WHAT?"

Draco winced at her shout and turned over. His ears were ringing. That noise—it was screeching. An apologetic tone entered his ear. It was slightly soothing, but was not enough to quell his entire body of whatever symptoms he was having. "Fine," Kylie grumbled. "Gimme!" The Slytherin felt a hand touch his shoulder, turning him on his back. "Sorry about this." _Sorry_…? What could she possibly be apologizing for? Draco cracked opened his eyes to see Kylie moving forward with a determined expression. He almost did not register the joining of their lips. And even if he did, the enjoyable feeling was put out by the disgusting liquid that entered his mouth. A strong hand held him down as Kylie continued to transfer the foul liquid from her mouth to his.

After what seemed like eternity, the horrible punishment finally came to an end. The ordeal took a lot out of him, but he did feel better. "There, young Draco should be all better in just a few hours." This time, he actually heard Madam Pomfrey. "You may stay with him if you'd like." Again, he cracked his eye open to see the older woman's departing back. She, however, turned and winked at him. Startled by the gesture, Draco could only try to look confused. He groaned lightly as he sat back.

"Damn hag…" Kylie murmured. "I'm sure she could have conjured up a straw or something. She probably did it on purpose…"

"K-Kylie…" His voice was hoarse. What the bloody hell was happening to him?

"What the hell is happening to you?" The witch crossed her arms. She looked annoyed, but there was a glimmer of anxiety in her eyes. "You think it was something in Herbology?"

"I'm not sure."

"_Hm_… Well, at any rate, you'll be fine in a couple hours." She stood. "I guess I'll go back to class now."

A hand reached out and grabbed her wrist, preventing Kylie from going further. She turned slightly to see Draco sitting up in bed, refusing to let go. It was the most pitiful sights she had ever laid eyes on. After Sarah made her seen the damage she had done to her 'bully,' she had thought she saw it all. Nope, this was definitely more pathetic… and that guy actually shat himself. Kylie stopped to think about it. _"Actually, I feel sympathy with Draco. Maybe that's why I think it's more pathetic."_ The teen witch sat beside Draco's exhausted body. "Fine, I'll stay, but only for a few minutes." She noticed the tiniest of smiles on his face. The guy looked more pathetic than before. After a few moments went by, an eyebrow twitched. "So…" She turned her head to glare at him. "You gonna release me or not?"

Naturally, the Slytherin did so. Kylie mentally sighed as she returned her head back to its original point. That is what he usually did whenever she commented on prolonged touching. "Forgive me." The teen witch grumbled to herself. Why the hell was he talking like that? "Perhaps it was something to do with class."

"No, I already thought about that. It couldn't have been. After all, no one else got sick," Kylie explained. "And besides, I noticed your face before class started."

"My face…?"

"Yeah, you were already sweating. I thought you had run to class, though, so I didn't think much of it." Her roommate did not respond. "Draco…?" She turned, only to find his eyes closed. A scowl appeared on her face. _"This is why I don't like magic!"_ The witch stood. _"You never know when medicine knocks out a person!"_ With a huff, the Ravenclaw student began to stomp away.

The witch was so busy comparing the wonders of science to the tricks of magic that she did not notice the person in front of her until it was too late. She plowed head first into the person, causing both teens to release grunts. "Hey, are you blind? I was walking-" The witch froze. Staring into the green eyes of this certain wizard did not bring about pleasant thoughts. In fact, in her mind's eye, the top of her head exploded like a volcano. Her face broke out into a cold sweat. And her body trembled uncontrollably. Of course, this was all in her mind, so she appeared perfectly normal on the outside. "H-H-Harry Pot-Potter…!"

"_Ah_… It's you."

"Huh…?"

Instantly, Kylie's surge of negative thoughts was gone, and in their place was confusion. His reaction was strange. Her brown eyes widen a bit when the Chosen One smiled at her. That was even stranger. Could her eyes have been wrong? Did she really see a glare on his face? No—it couldn't be. Not when he was smiling right now. How weird, she thought. "I didn't expect to you here, Colman," Harry laughed. "Actually, I haven't seen you in quite a long time." Kylie chuckled nervously.

"Yeah… what a coincidence. Actually, I was just leaving. Draco-" She noticed the twitch of his upper lip. Jeez… Those two were just too much. "-fell ill during Herbology class, so I brought him here."

"Oh, I see."

"What about you?"

"_Ah_, Ron ate something he wasn't supposed to."

The name went in one ear and out of the other. Kylie had no idea who this 'Ron' was. Did he expect her to know? Oh wait—she remembered. Ron was 1/3 of the Golden Trio, or the Meddlesome Trio as she liked to call them. "Wait… I didn't see him. Are you sure he's still there?" Kylie asked, rubbing her chin with her index finger. Harry nodded his head, so the witch shrugged. "Well… I gotta go. See ya later, maybe!" She walked pass him, yet she did not go far. Harry's next question threw her off and made her stop.

"Do you care for him?"

Slowly, Kylie turned her head. Her body tensed. There seemed to be a dark aura coming from him. Very odd… Maybe being the famous wizard he was finally gotten to him. "_Mah_… Didn't we already have this conversation before?" Kylie scratched her ear. With small sentences, he told her that things change over time. "Well…" Her brown eyes shifted from Harry's back and to the floor several times. "I guess… I do… care about him… a li-little bit." What the heck? Why did she feel nervous? "Draco's not as bad as you make him out to be, though. He's actually been quite nice since I've met him even though it was bizarre at first. Maybe if you'd try, you guys could be friends, too." The Gryffindor chuckled, but it was mocking.

"Friend…?" He turned to face her. "I have no intention of being his _friend_."

"I'm… sorry… to hear that… Then you're just going to hate him forever?" The situation was quickly becoming awkward. A faint blush became visible. _"What have I walked into…?"_ Kylie thought, watching as Harry covered his face with his hand. If anything, the situation was becoming more and more uncomfortable. The Gryffindor wizard must have noticed because he smiled again probably to break the ice. "Uh… I guess I'll go now. Bye-bye." Kylie turned and walked away.

She was unaware of the piercing eyes that watched her go.

0~0

The Ravenclaw student clenched her teeth, forcing her eyes to stay open. "Come on, Colman! Just a few more paragraphs and I'll be done!" She gripped her quill, careful to keep the feather from touch her nose or upper lip. The things were dangerous to those with sensitive noses. _"Why did McGonagall ask me to write an essay on this, anyway?" _she thought, furrowing her eyebrows. "_If only I had gone straight to class after dumping Draco off…"_ Kylie stopped writing again. She gazed into the candle's fire. "I wonder…" She held her chin up with her hand; her elbow was pressed against the desk. _"Is Draco alright yet? He hasn't come back and it's almost midnight."_

Kylie shook her head and narrowed her eyes. Sure, she did care for him—she hadn't been lying to Harry about that. However, just how much did she _care_? Hm… _"How big of a friend is he? He's no way near Sarah, I'm sure."_ The Ravenclaw dropped her quill and sank into her chair. She rubbed her forehead, wondering why she was even thinking about it. Honestly, she had been randomly thinking about Draco during classes. It was slightly frustrating. If this occurred once or twice a day, then it would not be a problem. She wouldn't think much of it. After all, she was currently living with him. But it has happened much more, and they were not fleeting thoughts either. It was at least fifteen minutes during class time. The witch squeezed her eyes shut. "Chikuso…!" she murmured. The witch scratched her head rapidly. "This is all Dragon's fault!"

"Excuse me? How are your frustrations my fault?"

Her lips parted, hearing the familiar voice enter her ears. She turned slowly. Kylie was greeted by the sight of a smirking Slytherin, who was sitting on the edge of the bed. "Draco-!" Her face flushed in embarrassment. "You weren't… supposed to hear that…" The witch stared at the male for a moment, slightly puzzled. Before, he looked ghastly—pale as ghost. Now, he looked completely healthy. Not to mention that he appeared slightly more mature in the face. The young Malfoy closed his eyes, smirk still on his face.

"But I did…" His voice was low, warm… enticing. Kylie quirked a brow as the thought entered her mind. How peculiar, she thought. Closing her eyes, the witch turned away. What the heck was thinking about anyway? "Kylie…" Brown eyes snapped open in surprise. Draco had appeared right in front of her! His face was inches away from hers, causing the Ravenclaw to become stiff. He slowly pushed the chair away from the desk, not breaking eye contact. How he managed to get in between the desk and chair remained a mystery to the startled witch. "You said something wrong. You deserve a punishment, Kyle-lee-chan."

Kylie glared, and then turned her head, breaking the contact. "Hottoite-yo! Baka!" His hand grabbed her, forcing her to look back at him. Draco shook his head, signaling that he was not going to obey. Kylie had to refrain from growling at him. "Let me go!" Again, he shook his head. "I'm about ten seconds away from decking you in the face!" It was then she noticed the slight longer length of the Slytherin's incisors. "What the heck happened to you?" Draco's smirk widened.

"Don't try to change the subject. Your punishment—I'm about to initiate it," he said. Kylie instantly forgot her intrigue and became angry again. However, before she could let out a string of insults, Draco picked her up and flung her over his shoulder. Startled, the witch could only gasp in shock. How was he able to caring her like this? It shouldn't be possible for someone like _him_. The person who gets punched by nerdy girls, the person who screams over a simple scratch from a Hippogriff—he shouldn't have the strength to carry her like this! The Slytherin teen even looked comfortable as if she weighed as much as an infant.

The Ravenclaw witch was so distracted by the sudden difference in strength that she didn't realize she was outside until the cold wind hit her face. "Hey…!" She began to struggle again, but Draco kept his grip firm. "Why are we outside? We're gonna get into trouble!" Without warning, the young wizard reached up and gave a sharp slap to Kylie's behind. She was so shocked that no sound came out when she opened her mouth to scream. Draco rubbed her bottom soothingly as if to apologize. Kylie was three seconds away from foaming at the mouth.

"It's fine. I am a prefect, so normal rules don't apply to me." The tone in his voice was smug. He set her down on her feet. She glared up at him. Wait… _Up_…? When did he gain three inches to his height? "You're lucky you're so cute to me… otherwise, I would punish you severely." Kylie hurriedly looked away for witnesses. It had been a while since she used her secret, which did not involve magic, and this guy was _begging_ for her to. That's when she realized they were on the Suspension Bridge.

"Why did you bring me here? I have a paper to finish, you know!"

Instead of answering, Draco moved to his left and picked up a broom. It was his flying broom. Kylie recalled seeing it once or twice before. He held his hand out to her. "Kylie, co-"

"No!" she interrupted. "I won't!" The Slytherin narrowed his eyes. The witch crossed her arms. "I am no good at flying, so I refuse." Draco moved closer to her.

"I will be with you."

"I don't care! I'm not going! And that's final!"

Too bad the witch did not notice the handle of the broom between her legs. Draco smirked. The handle was also in between his legs. "Sorry, but you don't have a choice in the matter." The two shot up in the air. It was so fast that Kylie could barely breathe, let alone scream her head off. Instinctively, her hands gripped the handle of the Nimbus 2001. Brooms weren't meant for two riders—especially racing brooms, and especially in these positions. Kylie swallowed the lump in her throat as she felt the wind suddenly cease. They had stopped moving up, but she was still did not open her eyes. "You won't fall, I promise." A hand on her shoulder calmed her down, but only slightly.

"P-Put me do-down, Draco!"

"What are you—scared of a little height?"

"_Yes_…!" she breathed out.

Draco frowned. He hadn't meant to scare her. Kylie did not seem to be afraid of anything. Well, she was not afraid of administrative figures—that much was certain. He had no idea. He had never meant anyone who was afraid of flying. He saw that her knuckles were turning white from clenching the broom. His hand gently rubbed her shoulder to comfort her. "Alright, I'll put us down…" His broomstick slowly began to descend. However, they would not be landing on the bridge. Their destination would be the Paved Courtyard. "… If you kiss me." Her brown eyes sprang open. "I won't repeat myself." Kylie's body was literally shaking. Sweat began to form as well. Even so, she leaned forward. She was so full of fear that she was willing to do something against her will. Again, his eyes narrowed. The thought hurt, but if Kylie really did not want to kiss him, then he shouldn't make her. When her lips were centimeters from his own, Draco laughed out, causing her to stop and open her eyes. "How loose are your lips? We're already on the ground."

Just as he said that, Kylie's feet touched the group. Slowly, her hold on the handle loosened. She closed her eyes, trying to get her breathing back to normal. What a dirty trick, she thought. With haste, she moved away from the Slytherin teen. She hugged her body and shuddered. Had she really been about to give away a kiss to him? Of course… It was logical. To choose to replace fear with relief was human nature. _"But still… He didn't have to force me into that! I don't care if he is a friend; I'm going to use it!"_ Kylie thought. She felt his hands on her shoulders. He pulled her close.

"Daijoubu…?" he questioned, unaware of her dark thoughts. Kylie jerked away and swatted at his hands. "Gomen ne…" The witch turned to face him.

"I don't care if you use Japanese words… I'm still going to do it," she murmured, placing a hand on his shoulder. Draco looked confused. Kylie grinned. She would use his bewilderment to her advantage. "It's been awhile since I've used this!" She pushed her bangs away from her forehead and reared her head back.

Draco's face never stood a chance.

0~0

Sarah Simmons was confused. This did not happen often hence her apprehension. The reason for her confusion was Kylie. As the girl's best friend, she believed that she knew Kylie extremely well. However, her friend's behavior was strange. Sarah was sure she took care of Pansy to ensure that neither she nor her followers even looked at Kylie. Plus, Draco Malfoy also had something to do with Pansy keeping away from the rather thick witch. _"Hm… No, that's not it."_ Sarah silently sipped on her Green tea as she watched her friend. It was not fear. It was odd… Kylie never had such an expression on her face. She looked absolutely demonic with that smirk on her face. It looked similar to what Sarah, herself, tried to keep locked up.

Kylie was usually the passive one out of the both of them. It was rather strange to see such an expression from her. She was almost afraid to ask. "May I ask why you look like you've seen hell… and liked it?" Sarah finally set her cup down. Kylie's brown eyes shifted from her food. The Ravenclaw witch actually started laughing… sinisterly. Now, she was really confused. "Kylie…?"

"Dragon did something dumb yesterday night." Her grin grew as held up her bangs. "Let's just say he won't be doing anything like that in the future."

The green-eyed witch allowed a tiny smirk to appear on her face. Inside, however, she was laughing. _"So Draco Malfoy has done something to incur the wrath of Kylie Colman?"_ Sarah almost chuckled out loud. It had been such a long time since Kylie used that secret weapon of hers. That head of hers is one of the many reasons why Sarah befriended the witch. "I take it we won't be seeing him today then?" Draco was not very strong. He didn't look it at least. The last person—a muggle—who got the treatment actually got amnesia. Her head was dense mentally speaking _and_ physically. Anyone on the receiving end of her head butt would not be able to function properly afterwards.

Well, that is what Sarah thought… right before she saw Draco Malfoy walking over to them. Incredible, she thought. The very thought of someone being just fine after a direct hit from that forehead was farfetched. Though, the witch was never there when Kylie used her secret weapon, she was sure that the victim ended up comatose. His grey eyes locked with hers. Sarah was ashamed to say that she momentarily stopped breathing. That face of his seemed different from the last time she saw it. He smirked, and then held his finger up to his lips, silently telling her to keep quiet about his presence. The witch narrowed her eyes. Neither help nor hither his plans—it is what she said. Now, she almost regretted it.

Once Draco was sure that Sarah Simmons would not intervene, he placed his arms around his target's neck. The reaction was instantaneous. Her body shivered, and then tensed. "What a very bad thing for you to do, Kylie," he whispered, teasing her ear with his breath. "On top of the hit, you actually left me in the cold. Cruel…" Kylie struggled in his hold while stammering out his name. "Now, I really will punish you." The witch let out a screech, and before he knew it, she was gone from his arms. Draco looked to his left. He could practically see the dust that had been kicked up thanks to Kylie's hasty departure from the Great Hall.

"I see, I see…" The Slytherin turned his attention toward Sarah. "You've undergone a transformation." The witch moved a strand of hair behind her ear as she stared up at him. Draco sat down in the place Kylie once was. He nodded to confirm her statement. "No wonder you seem so much more confident in yourself. Having the person you like's ideal body type would make anyone confident." Draco could not say he liked the look on the witch's face as she spoke. It made him feel quite uncomfortable. "However, your sudden courage will only succeed in scaring Kylie off."

"Meaning…?"

"Meaning she won't fall for you. Meaning you two will not bond. Meaning you will eventually die while Kylie has a family of her own."

Her words were like physical strikes to his body. She had said it as if that really was his fate. His gritted his teeth. "I no longer care what others think or advise me to do." Draco actually glared. "I've tried advice from various people who say they know her well, but… in the end, it's futile. I'll catch Kylie by myself. Besides, this matter doesn't involve anyone other than Kylie and myself." He stood, signally the conversation was over. He turned his back to Sarah. "It's already been a semester. I can no longer be hesitant." The Slytherin prefect then walked away from the table.

Sarah watched him go with her impassive expression. She could not very well see his body, but his face and actions proved that he had changed. She did not know who all gave him guidance with this situation, but apparently it hadn't worked. The Ravenclaw witch suspected that Draco Malfoy must have lost his patience sometime ago. As of now, he would not listen to anyone and attack the problem head-on. How moronic, yet… _"He's gotten quite cool." _Sarah hid a smirk behind two fingers. Most students couldn't and wouldn't stand up to the likes of Sarah Simmons. They knew how merciless the witch could truly be.

The stoic look returned when someone stopped in front of her. Sarah recognized the witch as Hermione Granger. The Gryffindor was smarter than most. One would think the witch would end up in Ravenclaw. Hermione placed her hands on the table and looked into her green eyes. Then again, she was braver than most as well. Or perhaps it was stupidity, Sarah mused. She raised a brow. The Gryffindor prefect slowly breathed in and out through her nose. "Pardon my intrusion, but… we need to talk. It concerns our respective friends." The Ravenclaw narrowed her eyes. She did not like the sound of that.

Getting involved with just one of the Golden Trio did not bode well for her.

0~0

Severus Snape pulled the proper ingredients from the shelves—enough for his first period class. Today, his classes would _hopefully_ brew the Strengthening Solution. He knew most would not be able to. He would need to come up with a proper punishment—_alternative assignment_ for those who could not brew the potion properly. With a mental sigh—he had to do so every morning—Snape turned with the ingredients in his arms. "Master P." The vials clattered against the floor as the Potion's Master pressed his back against the shelf in surprise. "May I ask a favor?"

The professor placed a hand over his chest. It was only one of his students. Her presence was odd considering it was still minutes before class started. Generally, Kylie Colman was the last one in the room. Seeing her now was peculiar. On top of that, she seemed to be in a fit of despair. Or rather, it appeared as if the witch was running on her last bit of energy. Her eyes were hidden from view by her bangs. "Miss Colman, I wasn't expecting to see you… this early." Snape dropped down to pick up the vials. Fortunately, none were cracked or shattered. "What is it that you want?"

"May I ask a favor?" she repeated, not bothering to help him. With a sigh, the Head of the Slytherin House stood, vials back in his arms. He silently walked around the teen witch. Footsteps told him that she followed after him. Snape set the glass bottles down on his desk before turning to face her. He raised an eyebrow and nodded his head. "I think someone slipped some type of potion in Dragon's food. Either that or he drank something weird himself." Snape nearly rolled his eyes. Much time had passed, yet the girl still did not call the young Malfoy by his proper name. Then again, she refused to call _him_ by his proper name from the very first day they met.

Finally, her words sank in. Also the tone—it seemed a bit dreary for a person such as her. "You believe Draco has consumed a potion?" A nod was his answer. "And why do you believe this?" She did not answer right away. However, he did notice her body tremble and her hands clench. "Come now… I _don't_ have all day." Still, she did not lift her head.

"He's… acting strange. Yesterday, he got sick all of sudden, and then we he came back to our room…" Her voice nearly became a whisper. "He was just acting weird, okay? And-And-And he has this weird fascination with touching my shoulders—my _shoulders_!" Kylie finally blurted out. Snape let out a sigh of disbelief. "I—because of what he did to me, I was to believe that a potion or spell had something to do with his behavior! If I could ask—could you please watch over him today in class to figure out the symptoms and create an antidote?"

"Do you honestly expect me to-"

"Onegai, sensei!" Kylie latched onto his clothes. She finally looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "You don't know how freaky he has become! I can't take it! I won't be able to concentrate!" His attempts at pushing the girl away were unsuccessful. "Please, Master P! You're the only professor I trust!" At that time, Snape stopped trying to push the young witch away.

"Alright… Alright! If it will stop your adamant efforts," he gave in. The wizard had heard voices outside the door. Soon, students would be filing into his room. How awkward it would have been if they were seen in such a position. Kylie pulled away from him. "I will watch him."

"Arigatou…!"

Again, Snape had to resist rolling his eyes. Honestly, that language of hers was a bit irritating. How did she expect others to know what her words meant? Though, he did catch the gist of it. His dark eyes watched the girl trot over to her seat. She seemed to be a bit less lifeless. What could possibly make her become overemotional? The girl was rather worse than normal. However, before he could analyze further, students began to walk into the room, conversing with one another. Seriously, he had not time to dwell on the girl's problems. Snape walked over to his desk, telling his class to quiet down. The bell chimed, signaling that class would begin now. With a flick of his wrist, Snape closed the doors to his classroom. Whoever was late would not be getting in. "Settle down, settle down," his voiced drawled out to his class. "Today we will be brewing-" The man stopped. His eyes just happened to catch something quite peculiar.

Not only was Draco Malfoy staring at Kylie Colman—he did so all the time—but he was also rubbing his fingers against the back of the witch's hand. The Ravenclaw student's lips were pursed. She wore a look that clearly said 'Help me, Master P!' This scene was strange because one, Draco only stole glances and light brushes against her skin, and two, Kylie never noticed. His dark eyes examined the boy's face. It was somehow different. For some reason, he appeared to have a larger skull and bone structure. Other than that, even with the uniform, Snape could tell that his shoulders and chest were broader. Also, his Adam's apple was slightly more prominent than before. The older wizard narrowed his eyes, focusing on the physical contact between his two students. Draco's hands were noticeably larger than Kylie's, unlike how they were yesterday. If Snape did not know any better, he would assume that it was the work of a potion. However, he did know better. Draco Malfoy had undergone his transformation. Severus Snape frowned tightly.

Pretty soon, the girl would no longer be safe.

The professor cleared his throat, looking away from the odd pair. "As I was saying—you may collect the ingredients for the Strengthening Solution. Do not work on anything other than the potion for I will know if you do. There will be major repercussions for insubordination. I have other business to attend to at the moment." He walked down the aisle. "Draco and Miss Colman—come with me."

Kylie literally jumped from her seat to follow after her dark professor. Another second by Draco's side and she would have to release the hounds… or freak out and runaway—whichever came first. _"I am forever in your debt, Master P!"_ Kylie mentally gave the Slytherin Head a bow of gratitude. A few moments of Draco Malfoy not trying to stare into her soul through her eyes was heaven. What a horrible day this was turning into. Her roommate was _supposed_ to be knocked out for a least a day. The witch furrowed her eyebrows as she followed Snape down the hallway. _"Perhaps my weapon isn't as deadly as it used to be."_ She continued to ponder the effectiveness of her forehead, unaware that her professor had stopped. The witch crashed into his back, causing Snape to turn to her with a raised eyebrow. "S-Sorry…" she murmured. The Potion's Master turned back around. It was then she noticed they were at the entrance to the Headmaster's office.

"_Wait_ here," Snape ordered.

"Wh-What…?" Kylie began to protest. The man glared down at her, causing the witch to shrink back. "Sumimasen…" The witch bowed her head. Her teacher could be scary when he wanted. "But why the Headmaster…?"

"You will know when the time comes," Snape answered. He turned his back to her again, and then whispered something she could not hear. The stone gargoyle began to move, allowing the Head of Slytherin entry to the office.

She was now alone with Draco Malfoy.

The thought sent chills through her body. Recently, her roommate had become quite scary. It was almost as if he was purposely trying to give her a heart attack. Kylie breathed slowly through her nose. _"Calm down,"_ she thought. _"Once Master P figures out what potion was consumed, everything will return to normal." _Snape was most likely in there discussing antidotes with She placed a hand over her heart. It had returned to its normal beating rate. _"I have to endure this for a bit longer."_ A sudden draft entered her right ear, causing Kylie to cringe. Realizing who it was, she panic and moved away hurriedly. She pressed her back against the stone wall, holding her violated ear. "What was th-that for?"

However, Draco did not answer her question. He merely smirked and moved towards her. Kylie, at that moment, wanted to sink into the wall. "Why did Professor Snape call on us?" he asked. The witch nervously shook her head and shrugged. "You're lying." The young Slytherin moved closer. The Ravenclaw witch immediately felt her body stiffen. How could Master P leave her like this? "I know when you're lying, Kylie." His voice was deep. It was difficult to admit how much it excited her. Mentally, the witch rapidly shook her head. Draco lifted a finger and dragged it down her cheek. Kylie bit her lip. "You won't tell me?" The witch pushed her lips together, indicating that she would not speak. Draco showed his teeth, expressively teasing her. Kylie swallowed the lump in her throat. "I'll make you open that sweet mouth of yours."

To her surprise, though, he backed away. Kylie breathed a sigh of relief. He was only messing with her. How could she forget? It was just a game to him. Over the years, Draco Malfoy has _played_ with a lot of students. This was just another variation. That is what she thought until she saw him toss away his robe. "_Eh_…? What the heck are you doing?" Once again, he did not answer. The same smirk was still in place as he began to unbutton his shirt. It was then she lost all ability to speak and could only open and close her mouth like a fish out of water. Once he was finished, Draco tossed his House-colored tie over his shoulder. Kylie blinked, stunned at what she saw.

He had on a black vest. Still, she could clearly see the muscle underneath. What used to be a skinny boy, with barely anything working for him, had turned into something extraordinary. He had the body of a god! _"Baka…!" _Kylie narrowed her eyes. There was no way Draco had the body of a god. It was impossible! _"Calm down… It's your own eyes… Most likely, I would be the only one to think like that. Dad has the body of a god, my older brother—demigod. Draco Malfoy… somewhere below that."_ Even so, her fingers twitched at the magnificent specimen in front of her. _"Get a grip, Kylie! It's just a potion!"_ The witch slid against the wall, trying to get away. Her roommate watch her like a hawk would its prey, which caused her to freeze.

Suddenly, he was in front of her; arms pushed against the wall on either side of her, preventing escape. Kylie awkwardly looked away from that predatory gleam in his eyes. Her fingers twitched again. It was her damned mind. It was that curious spark that wanted to see what else had changed about the Slytherin teen. It was that inquisitive nature that made her want to reach out and-

"Touch."

"Huh?"

"Touch," Draco repeated in a whisper. Kylie slowly turned her head to face him. He licked his lips. "Touch—I know you want to. Do it." He watched her slowly, hesitantly lift her hand. Lightly, her fingertips touched his torso, causing the young wizard to relax and move his body forward. Becoming bolder, Kylie used her palm to move against his chest. Her brown eyes finally looked away and focused on his body. Draco shuddered against her skin. Euphoria is what it felt like. He sucked in a breath, feeling both hands on his toned stomach. The only thing separating the skin to skin contact was the thin layer of clothing.

Quickly, he grabbed her wrists. If she continued further, he would not be able to stop himself. "I'm… I'm sorry," Kylie murmured, dipping her head. Draco released her wrist. She was apologizing for some reason. How was it that she was able to say that so freely now? So he hadn't been the only one to change? Draco moved his hand smoothly against her cheek. Kylie's breath hitched as her face moved to closer. The Slytherin teen slowly leaned forward, dropping down slightly. Noticing her eyes widening, Draco smiled. His lips were inches away from hers. Their breaths mingled together, making the probability of sharing their lips increase. His focus shifted from her eyes to her lips several times before he eased in slowly. "Dr-Draco…!"

A sharp intake of breath from the witch made the young wizard grin. He had lifted her body, forcing her to grab onto his shoulders. Just to show off, he spun around a few times before returning to the original spot. Kylie gasped, still trying to keep her grip on him. "I've become this way for you." Draco pushed her against the wall, making her wrap her arms around his neck and her legs around his abdomen. Satisfied that the wall would support her, he removed one arm from her waist. His hand reached up. His thumb stroked her bottom lip, causing pants to come from the witch. Draco furrowed his eyebrows. She was reacting more than usual. But then he smiled. "Kylie, be mine forever."

"_Eh_…" Her eyelids lowered as well as her head. "Draco—m-my body…" He silenced by pulling her forward. This time he would do it. This time… He would kiss her. Kylie completely closed her eyes. She was becoming submissive. Soon would come the time where he would take her—make her completely and utterly his. "I… can't…" Closer and closer the two teens became, yet before contact was made a voice interrupted.

"Draco…!" The Slytherin growled, turning his eyes to right. "Release her now!" The young wizard sneered at the old coot. "Do as I say!"

"No—she's _mine_!"

"It is vital that you put her down now," Snape stated. "Otherwise…" He let the sentence hang. Draco glared, knowing what the otherwise could bring. Slowly, he sat Kylie down on her feet.

It appeared as though she was having a hard time remaining standing. "Kylie…?" Draco held her up. "Daijoubu?"

"I… I… can't…" Blood trickled down her nose, causing alarm from the three males. The witch must have felt the liquid because her fingers touched her nostrils and stared at the blood on her fingertips. "Masaka… I thought this only happened in-" Kylie never finished her sentence.

_THUD_

"I fear we were too late. It has begun," Dumbledore murmured.

0~0

Thank you all who review and/or favor this little story of mine.


	7. Fairytale

Kylie wanted to puke. No, not one of those small emptying of the stomach pukes—that would be too easy. She seriously wanted to hack out her guts… and her organs. If it were physically possible, she would want to throw up her brain as well. That was the thing that was troubling her the most. Usually, she liked her brain. It was because of it that she was an intelligent being—never mind that Sarah usually called her dense. That was not true. Kylie Colman being dense…? That made as much sense as baby geniuses. See…? It was a ridiculous idea. The witch would have scoffed at the thought if it was not for the throbbing headache.

"Kyle-lee-chan…" Kylie's body went rigid, feeling her roommate's arms wrap around her from behind. He had been doing that quite a lot after she had awoken from her comatose state. She felt his breath in her right ear, which caused her right eye to twitch several times. In the span of twenty minutes—that's how long she had been awake—he had done this a total of thirteen times. Once again, she pushed him away before grabbing her head.

"Not _now_, Draco!" she nearly hissed. The disgruntled Ravenclaw could barely believe she was out for a _week_. She could only imagine the work she had missed for classes. Kylie banged her head against the desk, forgetting that this would make her headache worse. She groaned as she sat up straight. However, she could not lean back. Draco Malfoy had switched the leather chair and the stool, which had been at the foot of the bed for the longest time. She still hadn't understood why he had done so. "Oh man…! A whole week… A whole week! My grades are probably in shambles!"

"I highly doubt that," Draco commented from his spot on the bed. Kylie turned her eyes to him with a frown. "Besides, you should be happy that you are alright now."

"Happy…? With _this_ headache…? No way am I alright!" Kylie sighed. "My professors are going grill me for sure… especially Master P and MC Gonagall." The teenage witch pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. "This weekend's going be hell…"

"Not necessarily," Draco said, gaining the girl's attention again. "Did you forget that we are in the same classes? I copied for you."

"Really…?"

"Of course."

"There goes my grades!" Kylie groaned again, looking away. Draco grumbled to himself, sensing that he was being insulted. The witch sighed again at her unfortunate circumstances. "What time is it, anyway? I'm so hungry…"

"Unfortunately, they have stopped serving dinner. It's Friday," Draco answered. At Kylie's horrified look, he hurriedly finished. "You don't need to worry. I've already prepared something for you. It's… I can't remember what it's called… It's something Asian, though."

"Dango…?" Kylie appeared to be quite happy.

"I don't think it was-"

"Ramen?"

"I can't be-"

"Onigiri! Its onigiri, isn't it?"

"… How about I just bring it to you?"

Draco walked out of their shared room, muttering to himself. Sighing, Kylie shifted her chin up. Her stomach growled at her. She no longer felt the intense urge to vomit. Now, it just felt empty. The witch placed a hand on her belly and closed her eyes. She moved her hand up and down, hoping to soothe its aching until Draco arrived with the Asian food. She had never had Asian food before. No matter how hard she begged her parents, she would never get what she wanted. The witch smiled lightly. That was going to change now. _"You're so cool, Draco Malfoy! My stomach's going to be very happy with you."_ Kylie opened her eyes, and then blinked once. Speaking of her stomach, something did not feel right. She patted her belly. "That's not the usual sound..." she murmured.

Kylie stood from the stool, pushing it back with her legs. She moved away from the desk and slipped the robe from her shoulders. It was then that she noticed that what she was wearing was a bit large. "These aren't my clothes," she said, lifting the tank top up a bit. Her eyes were on the mirror in front of her. She was also wearing Slytherin printed boxers. "This isn't my pudgy belly." Kylie slid a hand down the flatter stomach. She frowned as her hands cupped her breasts. Her eyes grew wide. "These are _definitely_ not mine…" The Ravenclaw student blinked, and then examined her reflection. She nearly jumped back, startled. She touched her hair. It was smooth. That could not be. She had been out for awhile. Her hands lightly touched her face. She pulled at her cheeks. What had happened to her chunky cheeks that her grandfather liked to pinch mercilessly? Kylie's fingertips tapped her lips. The bottom lip was slightly… fuller than it had been. The witch bit her thumbnail, trying not to scream.

Just what the hell is going on?

The Ravenclaw student released a heavy breath. She swallowed hard. It was all she could do to stop herself from freaking out. _"There's got to be some reason for this…"_ Kylie thought back. These alterations with her body must have been another symptom as to why she fainted in the first place. She pressed her two fingers against her temple. _"Think, Coleman, think! Why did you pass out?" _Memories flashed through her head, causing the young witch to grimace. Her eyebrows furrowed. She shook her head several times. "I need Sarah." She fumbled about the room, trying to locate her own clothes. However, she became impatient and grabbed her school cloak instead. Putting it on, she moved to leave the room.

0-0

Kylie headed down the hall towards the Ravenclaw living quarters. Although she appeared calm, she was mentally going crazy because she have yet to come up with a logical explanation for her transformation. Maybe it was a potion… What if she had consumed the same thing Draco had? After all, the effects were about the same. Both of them had transformed to look more mature. But why would someone want them both to appear older than they were? Well, not technically older, just… _different_ somehow. It just didn't make any sense.

The witch ruffled her unnaturally smooth hair and shook her head. She had to clear her mind. After her mind was clear, only then could she reach enlightenment. Kylie stopped and breathed in deeply, closing her eyes as she did. She slowly exhaled, dropping her arms to her sides. _"That's right,"_ she told herself. This was merely an academic situation. There was a cause to this effect. The only thing she had to do was calculate the missing variable. Kylie rolled her head around and shook her shoulders, trying to loosen her body. With a determined nod, the witch opened her eyes. Sarah would definitely know what to do.

The sound of footsteps entered her ears. She looked ahead. The hall was empty. She looked behind. Walking towards her was one-third of the Golden Trio. Crap, she thought. If she was lucky, Harry Potter would not see her. However, his green eyes seemed to hone in on her. The witch turned her head. Maybe if she ignored the boy, he would do the same. But of course, the universe was out to get her. He had called her last name, stopping her from moving forward. Scowling, she turned to him. "What is it, Potter?" she asked. Kylie wanted to make it clear that she was in no mood for small talk.

"_Um_… Well, it's nothing really. I just…" Harry trailed off, looking to the side. Kylie almost rolled her eyes. He finally looked at her. "You've been gone for quite awhile, and I… What happened to your face?"

"Excuse you? What a _terrible_ thing to say!" Kylie exclaimed, mortified. Did she really look that bad? The witch had the sudden urge to hide her face and body.

"No, I just meant-!" Harry sighed heavily. He narrowed his eyes at her. "Just forget it." Kylie's eye twitched. "I guess it doesn't matter. Why are you wearing your cloak, though? This isn't a school day."

"Look, Potter, I don't have time for your little interrogation, okay? So let's cut the small talk, _huh_?" Kylie turned on her heel and walked away.

"It's about Malfoy," Harry called, causing the witch to stop short. "He is very… dangerous. I would stay away from him if I were you. Unless you were looking to get hurt, that is." Kylie turned to face the male, eyebrow raised.

"Do my ears deceive me, or is that a threat?" she asked. Harry gave a smile that did not quite reach his eyes.

"Threat…?" he repeated as though it was a trivial thing. "Don't be thick, Coleman. I only worry for your wellbeing."

"Pardon me, Potter, but I don't need you to do that for me. Like I said before, Draco isn't as much of an ass as you and your friends make him out to be."

"Say what you will, but I've known him for a lot longer than you."

With those last words, the wizard walked past, lightly brushing against her. The witch blinked once before dropping her arms. She frowned and lowered her eyelids, staring at the floor. She had to admit that Potter was right. She had never associated with Draco Malfoy before this year. In all honesty, it had only been about a semester. Kylie suddenly shook her head. "No," she told herself. _"Dragon isn't like that. Potter may have known about him for longer than I, but I've had more contact with him. I know him better than Potter does."_ She lifted her head. It had begun to hurt again.

Kylie collapsed against the wall. Her breathing increased, causing her to grip her shirt. Damn—her body was too excited. She shouldn't be moving around like this so soon after waking up from a comatose state. Her eyelids lowered. She had to get back to the room and lay down. The witch slowly began walking back. She used the wall for support, but she was not making any headway. "Kylie…?" The witch turned her head. However, it was too fast. She felt extremely dizzy. "Kylie…!" She felt herself falling, but then she was off her feet much too fast. Judging from her weight and the angle that she was falling, she should have hit the ground after- "Kylie, you shouldn't move so recklessly this soon." The witch realized that she was now being carried. She forced her eyes open. Grey eyes stared back at her. "You're so thick…" The insult wasn't lost to her ears. She glared up.

"You are… an ass…"

There was a pause, and then a chuckle.

And then there was nothing.

0-0

Kylie groaned lightly as Draco placed her on the bed. Her back had been against the headboard. She had to eat something. The young wizard removed his hands and arms from the girl's back and legs. Upon returning to their room, he realized that Kylie had left. He assumed that she must have discovered her altered features and became apprehensive. Shaking his head, he reached for the plate of food. It was something he had prepared for when she recovered.

The wizard furrowed his eyebrows. This was something else that his father had neglected to mention. If he knew in advance that Kylie would have to go through something like this, then he would have prepared for this much more efficiently. Draco turned and made his way back to the bed. He sat down, facing the sleeping girl. She _was_ only sleeping—he had checked. It placed the plate on his lap and took one, of the six, wrapped things in his hand. Apparently, it was cold rice wrapped in seaweed. In the middle of the roll was a raw piece of fish. Honestly, he could not understand how it was consumed. However, it was what Kylie wanted.

His fingers lightly gripped the girl's chin, pulling it down. Her mouth was open, awaiting the roll of food. He had done this once before. Apparently, the witch enjoyed eating in her sleep as well. Draco slowly slid the roll into Kylie's mouth. Like the Devil's Snare, her lips closed around his fingers. He froze, and then immediately melted against the warm, wet contact of Kylie's mouth. Breathing out deeply, Draco had to restrain himself. The wizard pulled his appendages out of her mouth. For a moment, he watched Kylie chew her food. Sighing, he shook his head. The Slytherin wizard lightly slid his fingers down the side of her face. The witch swallowed the food, and then groaned again.

Her eyes moved rapidly under her lids. Finally, her eyelids opened. "Dra… Draco-" Her sentence was cut short. The wizard held another piece of food in front of her and told her to eat. Eyes lighting up at the sight of food, Kylie leaned forward and grabbed the roll. "How did you manage to find Makizushi?"

"M-Maki…?" Foreign words were still awkward for him to pronounce.

"It's rolled sushi!" Kylie explained. Draco nodded his head as the witch happily devoured the rolled sushi. "Can I…?" Smirking, the Slytherin placed the plate on the girl's lap. She clapped in glee. "You're the best!" The witch prepared to shove the food in her mouth. However, she stopped. Her excited expression suddenly appeared uncertain and troubled.

"What's wrong?" Draco asked, noticing her expression. It wasn't like Kylie to just stop eating. Something must truly be wrong.

With a sigh, Kylie placed the Makizushi back on the plate. Her brown eyes gazed at Draco's face. In such a small amount of time, he had suddenly become… attractive to her. She would deny it no longer. She honestly didn't like it. Friends aren't supposed to be attracted to each other—not that Draco Malfoy could be attracted to her regardless. Looking down, Kylie frowned. "Can I be honest with you?" she asked. She didn't care either way. "I think that somebody is out to get us."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Have you not noticed? Somebody slipped a potion in our food or something!"

Draco realized what she was talking about. It was his turn to frown. He closed his eyes for a moment. This was more than a little frustrating. "I don't think it's a potion. Besides, we are better than we were."

"It has to be! And no we're-" Kylie stopped. She clutched her forehead, suddenly wishing that she hadn't exclaimed. The witch removed the plate from her lap and stood. Honestly, speaking with Draco Malfoy was not her best option. Another Ravenclaw would be a better source of information. Not to say that the Slytherin was unintelligent, because that was not the case. However, the fact still remained. She needed to see Sarah, now.

Before she move any further than the foot of the bed, Draco grabbed her forearms from behind. He pressed his lips against the back of her head, inhaling her smell. Her body released a sigh and relaxed against him. Draco closed his eyes. "Let me show you this is not as awful as you make it out to be." He led the witch away from the bed and toward the full-length body mirror. It was a mirror he had taken from the _Room of Hidden Things_—a clever name. Whilst his intend transformed in her sleep, he had developed an acute sense of anxiety. It had not been abnormal to find him pacing about the castle. That is when he had stumbled across the room and the things inside. One of the items had been the mirror. The mirror was not enchanted. However, it had a certain charm to it… after dusting and cleaning, of course. Kylie Colman enjoyed antiques, so it was a bit of a present for her.

She gasped at the sight. The frame of the mirror was silver. Engraved above the actual mirror were symbols. Draco had not bothered to try to decipher them. Kylie, however, seemed drawn in by them. The witch moved away from him. She stood on the tips of her toes, reaching for the symbols. Of course, she had been too short, but that did not stop her from trying. After a moment or two, Kylie huffed and crossed her arms. The look of excitement did not disappear from her eyes, though. Draco saw her bit her bottom lip before turning her head. "Do you know what this is?" It was an odd question considering the answer was as obvious as a Hungarian Horntail sunbathing at a beach. Draco thought it was best not to answer. She must see something he did not. "This is a Talking Mirror."

"Talking? So it is magical then?" Kylie gave a nod. The Slytherin grimaced. "Sorry, I know you don't-"

"Back in the day, it was just a prototype," the Ravenclaw interrupted, turning her eyes back to the symbols. "It was a secondary mirror to the original talking mirrors. ATM, they called it—_Asian Talking Mirror_. It was for wizards and witches of Asian descent. Naturally, these mirrors didn't sell much because there are not too many that know of the magical world that can speak the languages, so eventually there was no more advertisement" Kylie smiled, dropping her arms. "You know my dad told me he once saw the Headmaster talking to one of these things. If that's the case, either Dumbledore knows one of the Asian languages or this thing knows English."

Her body completely turned to face his. She gave a dashing smile and thanked him. Draco had almost told her that he had no idea the properties of the mirror, but decided against it. She was happy. There was no use in not letting the credit go to him. "_Ah_… yes," said Draco, hesitantly. "But that is not the only reason why I have shown you this mirror, Kylie." Her smile dropped a bit. Paying no mind to her falter, the young wizard beckoned her. She did so without question. It was one of those rare times when she actually did something without question. It must be the transformation. Once the witch reached him, Draco took a hold of her hand and spun her body around so that her back was once again pressed against his chest. Through the mirror, he noticed her lips purse. It was a sign that she was about to go into a tirade. "Look at yourself." He had effectively put a stop to her protest before it began. Furrowing her eyebrows, she stared at her reflection. "What do you see?"

Kylie blinked once. In the midst of being overwhelmingly ecstatic over the Talking Mirror, she had forgotten about her altered appearance. She bristled as she continued to examine her features. The Ravenclaw opened her mouth. "A very cute girl."

"And… Why is that a bad thing?"

"I don't _want_ to be just another cute girl!" Her brown eyes focused on his grey ones through the mirror. "You wouldn't understand my reasoning, Draco. You've been a… popular person for awhile. Whether it's because of your looks or daddy doesn't matter—you've still been popular all throughout your time here." Her head dropped. "It's just not the lifestyle I want." Draco gripped her shoulders, causing her head to lift again. His lips pressed against the tip of her left ear.

"For a Ravenclaw, you're not good with observations." At her scowl, Draco hurriedly continued. "You've only noticed and cared about the surface of this. However, there is a something are underlining things you've neglected, Kylie." The witch did not reply, so he continued. "Look harder at yourself and think logically." The girl snapped her head to the side, glaring out of the corner of her eye. With his right hand, he forcibly turned her head straight. "Focus, Kylie," he told her. Grumbling, the witch obliged. Draco sucked in a breath. He then stroked her jaw, and then slid his fingers down her neck. "Your skin is different—how?"

"Fragile, soft, _weak_," Kylie nearly hissed.

"Soft," Draco nodded in agreement. "But not weak." The witch rolled her eyes. She asked how he knew such a thing. The stubborn teen crossed her arms and closed her eyes, stating that it was impossible that he knew in the first place. "Believe me, I know." He pushed Kylie's hair back, exposing the side of her neck. His lips hovered centimeters away from her skin. As expected, his incisors slightly grew.

While Kylie was in her unconscious state, the young Slytherin had done a bit of _experimenting_. Two days before she had awakened, her body had completely stopped changing. She was only human, so she needed those extra days to recuperate. That is what Madam Pomfrey had said. So Draco had used those two days to find out exactly—not just guess—what her changing would do to his body. Apparently, his body reacted more physically than it had in the first few weeks after finding her. For instance, his two incisors elongated whenever his mouth was near Kylie's skin. This was something his father had _told_ him. According to Lucius Malfoy, this only happened prior to actually… mating with the intended. Although, he, himself, hadn't gone through this, his father did experience the lengthening of his teeth as well. He did not find out why until twelve years into his marriage.

There were other things as well. However, the most problematic was whenever her eyes were close—which was all the time at that time—Draco would have an uncontrollable urge to be on top of her and kiss her. A _Sleeping Beauty_ complex it would be called if there was such a thing. Learning of this… condition had almost cost him his manhood. Sarah Simmons had picked that precise time to visit her best friend, only to discover Draco on top of Kylie. Not only was it embarrassing, but he had to dodge numerous projectiles being through his way. The Slytherin teen mentally sighed at the memory. Fortunately, he had escaped the stoic witch's wrath. His father also told him that these urges would fade after the bond was completed. For now, it was highly irritating to hold back.

The Slytherin teen turned his head away from Kylie. "Moving on," he said once he had gotten his composure back. Swiftly, he removed her uniform. The witch barely had time to register what had happened before Draco's arms were around her torso. His hands slid down to her waist. "You want children, I assume."

"Of course, my intelligence must go on." Kylie almost crossed her arms again. However, that would be too pompous of her. Did she always appear so arrogant when she spoke of her mental power? The witch mentally scoffed. It was warranted. _"A mind like mine shouldn't go to waste," _she thought, effectively justifying her own mindset.

Draco's hands slipped lower. He moved her hips from side to side, and back and forth. Kylie was about to demand a reason for his actions when he spoke again. "You didn't use to have these," he said. "Childbirth for you would be… easier now."

"Are you trying to tell me that someone altered my body so that I can have children _easier_?" She did not give him time to reply. "What kinda sick mind would do such a thing?"

"Calm yourself."

"I will not calm down! I'm even more riled up than-"

It occurred to Draco that calming Kylie Colman down by sealing her lips with a kiss was not the best path he should have went down. She was the type of person who would most definitely lash out over this type of affection. Up until now, Kylie has never received something like this from the opposite gender, so a 'freak out,' as she liked to put it, followed by a berating was highly likely to ensue. Still, she was Kylie Colman. Most likely, her mind was flying with thoughts of why something like this was happening. So… He might as well make the most of this situation.

She couldn't understand it. One moment she was about to make a comparison between her energy level and a pixie's energy, and then the next moment her mind went completely blank. This caused for an emergency shutdown. Kylie's body tensed, and then relaxed, slowly her mind rebooted. She blinked rapidly a couple times. Okay… So she had been talking, and then… And then Draco grabbed her shoulders and spun her around. _"And then… And then…"_ The witch's mind almost shut down again. Kylie mentally shook her head. This was not the time for _two_ emergency shutdowns!

Slowly, the Ravenclaw opened her eyes. She blinked once more before her eyes shot open. Draco Malfoy was, in fact, sharing his lips _with her_. Kylie's brain almost broke. No, she told herself. There had to be some sort of explanation as to why this was happening. The witch receded to the brightest corner of her mind. Light was needed for this one. She grabbed her face and pulled at her skin. Why was this so _confusing_? This spur of the moment action Draco was taking—it caused her unease. Wait, wait… If it was spur of the moment, then that could mean it was an accident. Yes, an accident. He wanted to calm her down, which is why he grabbed in the first place. He was going to give her a good shaking, and that would effectively halt her rising blood pressure, ceasing her tirade. Sure, it probably would have caused strife in the future, but it was necessary for now. Draco Malfoy knew her well, after all. They had been rooming together for quite a while.

Even now, the Slytherin teen was pulling away. He took his hands from her shoulders. Kylie almost let out a relieved sigh. Just as she thought, it was a silly little mistake. Draco would apologize. She would respond with an awkward 'You're fine. It happens all the time,' even though it didn't really happen all the time. Actually, stuff like this never really happened, but it's supposed to be awkward, right? And then they'll pretend it never happened. Who knows…? Maybe in ten or twenty years, they could both look upon this moment in time and laugh. Laugh like they've never laughed before.

However, these thoughts were soon trampled. Though, it is true that Draco took his hands away, it only for about half a second. His palms cupped her cheeks. The young wizard stared deeply into her eyes. Kylie wanted to cringe away, but her own body betrayed her. "Don't think, just feel." It was happening too quickly—much too quickly for an attempt to stop it. He moved closer, fully intending on sharing his lips again.

"_Eh_? Nani? Matte!"

"No, no, please continue!"

A voice halted Draco's advancement. Both teens froze for a moment before opening their eyes and slowly looking towards where the new voice had come from. The voice was male, yet there was no one else. The two stared at their reflections perplexed. "What was that just now?" Draco's inquiry snapped Kylie out of whatever trance she was in. Quickly, she lifted her bangs, and then reared her head. With a satisfying crunch, her forehead collided with his. The poor wizard abruptly fell to the ground, groaning in obvious pain. "That hurt…" Draco clutched his already red forehead. He rolled over and curled his legs. Her head was as dense as ever. Next time, he would have to watch out for it.

"It's _supposed_ to hurt!" Kylie was near hysterics. "What were you _thinking_?"

"Yes, yes, what were you thinking, Draco-kun?" Once again, the voice came, causing the witch to flinch. Again, her gaze found the mirror. She knitted her eyebrows together. "Honestly, you must be aggressive in your strikes!"

"You…! You're talking?" Kylie backed away.

"Well, of course I am, _cutie_. They don't call me a talking mirror for nothing."

"But… You weren't talking before. Why wait?"

"I could not be activated until one of the foreign languages was spoken," the mirror replied.

"I… I see…"

Draco finally stood up, drawing Kylie's attention. With wide eyes, she moved away. He called out to her, but she took off. She ran so far and so fast. Just as she ran, her thoughts raced through her mind without hope of stopping. He kissed her. He had kissed her. KISSED? The witch grabbed her hair, shaking her head side to side. She couldn't believe it. _"And yet it happened!"_ Her heartbeat and rapid footsteps filled her ears. Her legs ached from the strain of running up the staircase. It was spiral, so she felt a bit dizzy once she reached the top. Kylie squeezed her eyes shut. _"Why would he do something like that?"_

At last, Kylie came to a stop. She panted heavily. The eagle-shaped knocker cleared its throat and spoke the riddle. Breathless, the Ravenclaw student answered the riddle. The thing had the nerve to ask her to repeat. Twitching, Kylie shouted the answer. The knocker seemed to cringe. Finally, she was allowed entrance. Quickly, she climbed the stairs leading to the girl's dormitory. It was Friday, meaning that many students were out. Not Sarah, though. She would be curled up in her bed, reading a muggle book. Once, Kylie tried to find out what sort of book her friends likes to read, yet… Sarah's impassive face turned angry for a split second. Never again would she attempt a mission impossible.

As she thought, there Sarah Simmons was. The stoic witch lied on her bed. She was on her stomach with her arms holding the book. Her feet swayed back and forth in the air. Funny, she thought. It felt like it had been months since she saw her best friend, and yet Sarah had not changed. Kylie's eyes stung as she continued to gaze her friend. "Sa… Sarah…!" Slowly, the witch turned her green eyes. "SARAH-CHAN…!" Without warning, Kylie ran and jumped.

It was the one time Sarah Simmons showed surprise.

0-0

Kylie sniffed lightly and wiped at her eyes. Sarah placed a comforting arm around her shoulder. She had already given her friend something else to wear. What she came here in wasn't exactly… decent. Kylie must have been very troubled if she ran all the way here without thought to her attire. Sarah eyed the discarded clothes on the floor. They belonged to Draco Malfoy. He had changed her. Green eyes narrowed. That wizard was getting bolder each day, wasn't he? It was bad enough that she had caught him with his hands all over Kylie whilst she was unconscious.

"And then… And then he just _kissed_ me!"

Sarah snapped her head back in her friend's direction. She had not been paying attention up until that point. Kylie had been ranting about things that had happened since she had awoken from her unconscious state. So it was only normal to try to drown her out. However, hearing her last sentence came as quite the surprise. Kylie's face was flushed. Her brown eyes stared down at her knees. _"So he definitely has become bolder with his actions."_ Sarah brushed her bangs with her fingers. _"But to go as far as kissing her…? He doesn't seem too concerned about the advice I gave him."_ The stoic witch bowed her head. She knew this would happen. She had warned him, and yet he didn't listen. Now Kylie was here, confused and full of fear. _"Hm… I suddenly want him to taste my personal hell…"_

"What was that?"

"Nothing…" Sarah's gaze shifted. "So he kissed you, did he? Where was it?"

"Does it matter? He still _kissed_ me!" Kylie sighed heavily. "What should I do? It's not like I can avoid him…"

Green eyes stared for a moment. Sarah slowly took her arm away. Her gaze fell to the floor. This whole Veela thing was causing her friend strife. Kylie Colman was actually the only person—aside from her parents—that Sarah did not want any harm befall her. Veela and its intended—a person like Kylie could not handle that type of situation. Because of the way she was, Sarah knew that things between them would get a whole lot worse. The witch's eyes closed. If Draco Malfoy continued to become bolder, then chances were that they would not be together. There would always be… reluctance on Kylie's part. And that would cause troubles for her. The last thing Sarah ever wanted was to cause this person pain. "Kylie," she said. "Do you remember how we met?"

"_Uhhh_… No… But I'm sure it's saved in my long-term memory!" she answered hastily. "I'm sure I can still pull it out!"

"It was weeks into our first semester. We had not spoken a word to one another, but… I was watching you."

"That's not creepy at all."

Ignoring her interruption, Sarah continued. "You were… different than most. It was obvious that you were a bookworm and a loner. I assumed that you were antisocial like myself, and so… I often found my gaze on you. You were not popular; however… you spoke your mind. You didn't hold back, not even in the presence of professors. If you had even the smallest of doubt, then you would disagree. This trait of yours caused you to become unavoidable. Others did not care to be around you. They assumed that nothing good could come about being with you. You were alone, but you did not seem to care. I was attracted to you." At Kylie's sharp intake of breath, Sarah frowned. "_Not_ in that way, of course. Still, I wanted to be near you. And so… I spoke to you."

"Oh, now I remember! You came up to me and said 'We're friends now,' and then just walked away!" Kylie giggled at the memory. "I thought it was cute." Sarah raised a brow.

"Cute as it was, you managed to pull me in." She turned her eyes to Kylie. "We became friends—two polar opposites became great friends." The witch slowly nodded her head. Sarah sighed lightly. "What I mean to say is… It's not in my nature to impulsively act. What I said and did were not planned acts. I had become… nervous, which is why I turned and left without hearing a response from you. I allowed you to pull me in."

"I… I don't understand."

"Malfoy has been pulled in by you."

"_Eh_…?"

"Just like me, he did something impulsive. And just like me, a strong relationship can form because he kissed you."

"But I've never thought-"

"Let it happen, Kylie," Sarah interrupted. "The reason you are so flustered is because this has never happened to you before. Do you want to become like this again?" Kylie rapidly shook her head. "Then give Malfoy a chance, like you gave me a chance." She furrowed her eyebrows, and then looked down at her lap. She sighed softly.

"I don't know," she said. "I admit that I don't want my body to be out of my control again, but… I always dreamt that my future would be with a Japanese man." Sarah almost twitched her at her friend's confession.

"This is an experiment," she said. "It doesn't mean its forever." Oh, she was such a liar. However, Kylie needed this. Conflicting thoughts and confusing situations was not something the witch was accustomed to. Sarah had to make it simpler for her sake. "And hey… If he breaks your heart, I can break his wand and face for you."

"I do wish you wouldn't say that with such a creepy smirk, Sarah."

The neutral looked returned almost immediately. "_Hm_… I almost forgot to mention something." Sarah tucked her hair behind her ear. "Your brother is coming tomorrow." She didn't have to wait a long time for the reaction. Kylie's exclamation was missed to her ears. "Because you were comatose, I took care of your mail for you. I read some of it as well." Her friend instantly ranted how that was a crime. Sarah continued, waving off her angry outburst. "He said he wanted to check on his baby sister. I suppose it's been awhile since you've seen each other?" Kylie quieted down. Her lips formed into a pout. Stiffly, she nodded her head. Sarah noticed her shifty eyes and raised a brow. "I thought you got along with your brother…?"

"I do…" Her face became red again—bright red. "It's just that whenever he comes around… everyone else gets along with him, _too_! Whether it's muggles or witches, it attracts the opposite sex like a magnet! Damn it…! It pisses me off!" She had said this through clenched teeth. Sarah blinked. It was quite surprising to realize that Kylie Colman had a brother complex. The witch suddenly turned to Sarah. "I bet even you wouldn't be able to resist him…" The green-eyed teen almost scoffed. Kylie smiled. Her cheeks turned pink. "I wouldn't mind if you married him, though! You could be my sister." Her palms cupped her cheeks. "Oh gosh…! What am I saying?" She giggled uncontrollably.

Sarah frowned, feeling the urge to twitch. She had never met Kylie's brother, but she understood that he was in his twenties at the moment. The age gap was too wide. Kylie seemed to let that fact slide under the carpet. "Yes, well… Remember what I've said. You must take chances in order to advance."

"Alright, already…! You don't have to keep reminding me!" Kylie stood up and crossed her arms. "I'll do it! But only because you said so…! If it was up to me, I'd make myself forget it ever happened." With an indignant huff, the witch stomped off. Green eyes watched her go until she was completely gone. A genuine smile surfaced on Sarah's face. Her friend was so… cute. Clearing her throat, the witch lied back down. She looked towards the door once more before her hand pulled the book from under her pillow.

Steamy erotica novels are what she enjoyed most.

0-0

Finally, her stomping ceased. Kylie came to a stop just a few meters from where she shared a room with Draco. Her expression of irritation wore off and was now replaced with a look of strained somber. Admittedly, talking with Sarah made her feel better. However, there still were doubts plaguing her mind. First off, this was not just a normal guy. This was Draco Malfoy. His fan base had to be as big as… Well, she actually didn't really know, but that didn't change the fact that he was sought after.

So why her…?

_"Why did he choose me?"_ The witch fell against the stone wall. Her fingertips touched her lips. Lowering her eyelids, her gaze fell to the floor. _"How long has this been going on behind my back?" _If Sarah and Draco were alike, then he must have wanted to kiss her before then, right? Kylie sighed slowly. How could she be so oblivious? She hadn't noticed Sarah, and she certainly hadn't noticed Draco. Her arm dropped. They must be… so fed up.

Taking in a deep breath, Kylie moved forward. With each step, her resolve wavered. If she didn't hurry, she would most likely back down. Sweat began to gather. She imagined herself sweating bullets. Swallowing hard, she finally opened the door. With shaking hands, she briskly walked forward. There he was, sitting on the edge of the bed, waiting for her. His grey eyes looked up from the floor. Kylie wondered why she never noticed. His expression, hurt and apprehensive—did she always miss that look. "You… You've changed."

"Oh yeah… I left your stuff back with Sarah."

An awkward silence followed.

Brown eyes trained on the floor. She hated the way her body was reacting! Just because it never experienced something before doesn't mean it had to go and do unsightly things. It was times like these that she wished she had more control over her emotions like Sarah. Setting her jaw, Kylie finally met his gaze again. "Draco Malfoy."

"H-Hai…?"

"_Don't use Japanese words! I'll lose my strength!"_ Kylie cleared her throat and coughed into her closed palm. "Draco Malfoy," she tried again. "What you did… took me by surprise." He nodded his head. The witch could have sworn he muttered somewhere along the lines of 'You and me both,' but she couldn't be sure. "I didn't know how to respond, so…" Her brown eyes averted. She heard him stand. "So… I apologize for that." She heard his footsteps. Unconsciously, she took a step back. "Having said that, you kissed me without my permission, and I expect you not to do it again." His footsteps stopped. She saw his feet. He was right in front of her.

"What if I can't?"

Kylie decided to ignore his question. "I'm new to this whole… thing, so I'm taking on a slow and steady wins the race type of policy." She clasped her hands together in front of her. "Having said _that_, I won't be taking on this policy until you've been approved."

"Approved…?"

"Yes, _approved_. If my brother likes you, then I will _consider_ that kiss you gave me and actually think about. If not, I will erase it."

"You… drive a hard bargain…"

"Mother always said I had the potential to be a lawyer."

"Alright, I will meet your brother."

"Oh, you didn't have a choice, either way. He's coming tomorrow."

"… What a cruel mate I have."

"What was that, Draco?"

"Nothing."

0-0

To those who care, I'm so sorry it took so long to finish. My bad—college ain't no joke! However, I learned a lot of stuff, so hopefully it'll show up in my writing. Thank you for reading thus far.

But who knows the next time I'll be able to update?


	8. Competition

Kylie huffed lightly as her hands tried to style her hair. She had forgotten how much work it was to become pretty. There would be no ponytails today. This was a day that was immensely special. The witch smiled, satisfied with what she had done with her appearance. For her birthday two years ago, he had gotten her a makeup kit. She hadn't even opened it until now. Eyeliner, eye shadow, and mascara had been applied. There was no way she was going to put on something as burdensome as foundation. That was just too much. Kylie had thought about putting on lip gloss. However, she went with lip balm instead. Lip gloss was too sticky for her taste. Besides, it would rub off on the food she was going to eat, so why bother?

The Ravenclaw giggled lightly. She then flicked her hair and winked at the mirror. It was silly, yes, but this was just how she was… at certain times, of course. There was no way she would act like this if wasn't for her special person. Kylie nearly squealed at the thought of him. He was like no other man on the planet! He was perfect in every way. He was- "Work it _out_, Kylie-chan! Mega kawaii desu!" The mirror suddenly spoke, snapping the witch out of thoughts. "Though, may I suggest unbuttoning a few of those top buttons to show off a bit of that clevage of yours?" Flushing, Kylie held a finger to her lips.

"_Hush_, Kagami-san! You're _going_ to wake Draco!" she hastily turned her eyes to the heart-shaped bed. Luckily, the Slytherin teen was still asleep. Kylie breathed a sigh of relief. She turned back toward the mirror. Having to wake up early on the weekend was horrible, but necessary. The Ravenclaw ran a finger down her cheek. No foundation for her. Lotion should be just as good, right? "And quit it with your perverted comments already! Don't think I don't know what you're saying!" The mirror actually made a pouting noise. Not caring, Kylie placed her hands on her hips. "Now do your job! How do I look?"

Her attire was relatively simple. Well, less simple than what she preferred to wear on the weekends. Faded grey jeans covered her legs. She also wore a long-sleeved striped shirt; white and blue were the colors. The shirt also had small grey buttons. Kylie found herself smirking. Even if she were to undo a couple more buttons on her V-neck shirt, the black tank top underneath did a great job at covering her cleavage, which by the way, hadn't been there before this little transformation of hers. She still hadn't figured out the reason for her sudden change, though. Kylie mentally shook her head. She would have time for things like that later. Right now, her sole focus was on her significant other.

"_Haaah_… I see many things you _can_ do, Kylie-chan, but I'm sure you won't change no matter what I say, ne?"

"And you are absolutely right, you perverted mirror!"

The witch turned on her heel and headed for the bedroom door. Carefully, she closed the door behind her, not wanting to wake Draco Malfoy. Things were still awkward. Kylie would have never, not once, thought that someone like him could like her. There was a possibility that he could be playing a foul joke on her. However, she liked to think that she knew him well by now. Well, despite the fact that she didn't realize that he had feelings for her other than friendship.

Kylie gave a mental sigh as she grabbed her golden-brown jacket. "I won't think about it for now," she murmured. It wasn't like she was going to completely forget about it, like she wanted to do. She was merely placing it within the furthest reaches of her mind, that's all. That way, Sarah couldn't complain. Besides, the witch was placing her full attention and decision on a matter more important. The smile returned to her face. She had to wonder when he would arrive.

Draping her jacket over her arm, the girl practically skipped down the hall. It had been so long since she had been _this_ ecstatic. Soon, she had made it to the Great Hall. First, she would eat breakfast, and then wait for her brother to arrive. The letter had stated he would meet her at the entrance to the school. However, this for sure meant that he was going to seek her out earlier than expected and bring about a noisy entrance. Kylie giggled lightly at the thought.

Kylie pushed the doors open. As usual, the room was nearly desolate. This was the weekend. Some students go home. Others—most actually—were still sleeping. There was no way people in her age group were going to get up this early. Heck, she would be one of those people if not for the fact that her brother was coming. Actually, this was perfect. Perhaps, she would have him all to herself today. Still, there were a few new students here who didn't know any better.

Brown eyes darted across the room, trying to locate her friend. Normally, she wouldn't be up either. However, Sarah was curious on who her brother actually was. Now that she thought about it, her friend was probably going to profile her dear brother. _"Now that I know that Sarah really truly cares for me, I realize that most of the things she does relates to me,"_ Kylie thought. She almost frowned. _"And here I am just oblivious to her affection! Such a horrible friend I am!" _

Finally, her eyes settled on her fellow witch. Her friend's focus was on paper in front of her. She only had a cup of steaming liquid beside her, so Kylie assumed that she hadn't eaten yet. Smiling, she walked over to Sarah and sat down. "Good morning, Sarah!" The stoic girl did not take her eyes from the paper.

"You seem to be in high spirits," she commented. Naturally, Kylie nodded her head with a grin. "This is quite a change from your usual behavior. You haven't gone off on a tangent yet. Is your brother that much of a distraction?"

"I don't know what you mean by that, but I guess. He's... Justin… Credible!" Sarah's eyebrow twitched twice. It was a sign that she was amused. Kylie had gotten great at understanding the small things. "But seriously, I haven't seen Justin in such a long time. I can't wait!" The squeal threatened to come out.

Finally, Sarah lifted her head. Her green eyes expanded, but only slightly. Her friend was actually wearing eye makeup? This Justin Colman must be a great man. The witch averted her eyes as Kylie began to get distracted by the food suddenly appearing in front of her. For a striking change to occur in someone as stubborn as Kylie was a feat in itself. However, she had _willingly_ enhanced her normal appearance—after her magical one, of course. Sarah had never encountered Justin. She was becoming increasingly anxious about this older brother. Perhaps whatever excursion the Colman siblings planned to take needed her involvement as well? Although the man was family to her best friend, Sarah still wanted to know anything and everything about him. Call her shielding, but no one was allowed close to Kylie if their information wasn't laid in front of Sarah Simmons.

"Do you know when he is to arrive?"

"_Nah_, not really, but it's sure to be cool!" Kylie's grin nearly blinded.

"I see…" There was a pause. "And what of Draco Malfoy?" Instantly, her teeth disappeared behind a frown. "I'll assume that you did speak with him afterwards. Is that right?" Solemnly, Kylie nodded her head. Her brown eyes stared down at her plate, eyelids lowered.

"However, I can't just accept his feelings out of the blue, Sarah. Friendship and a romantic sort of relationship is not the same. Draco is… not you," the witch closed her eyes. "What's even worse is that he's… physically attractive now." Sarah wanted to laugh. Trust Kylie Colman to _suddenly_ become attracted to the most sought after male in school. Her friend had seriously thought nothing of Malfoy before his transformation. The alteration in his appearance increased his fan base ten-fold, Kylie Colman included. Although her friend was attracted to the Slytherin, she did not show it. To her, it was just another fact—no need to obsess over what's fact, right? _Ah_, the inner workings of Kylie… "Because of that, I can no longer see him as a friend. When the time comes, I will have to make a decision about him."

"What is that decision?"

"To either consider his feelings for me, or erase that kiss from my mind."

"You drive a hard bargain, Kylie."

"Odd, Draco said the same thing."

Sarah released a small chuckle. She had such a cute friend. The stoic witch blinked once. Kylie had a lot to deal with, so she decided to release the tension within her friend. "So tell me more about this brother of yours," Sarah said. Immediately, the witch's grin resurfaced. Kylie began to speak animatedly about her older brother. She used many adjectives to describe him—she was definitely the doting sibling—but the gist of it was that he was affectionate, handsome, humorous, and strong. Kylie had characterized Justin Colman as the perfect man. No other was better in her eyes. At one point, the girl had actually wanted to _marry_ him. Of course, since she had grown, the thought of marrying him had become preposterous. Sarah, someone without siblings, could not understand the adoration Kylie had for her brother. Still, it must be nice… _"Would Kylie be happy… knowing that I thought of her as a sibling…?"_

Any further pondering was abruptly cut off. Crashing through the window, a cloaked figure emerged. Both witches cut their eye to the commotion, as did the other few students in the Great Hall. "_Ah_, he's here." Sarah glanced at Kylie out of the corner of her eye before turning her full attention on the lone character. The crouching person stood at full height. An arm stretched out, brandishing a wand. The shattered glass slowly returned to its rightful place, repairing the window and destroying any evidence of it having been broken in the first place. Kylie stood up, prompting Sarah to do the same. "Aniki…!" Her friend gushed as she ran over to the concealed person. So this was her precious brother? What was with that noisy entrance?

The man turned his body towards the girl coming towards him. He was tackled by Kylie, but he seemed to know this was going to happen. His arms wrapped around the witch in a sweet embrace. Sarah found herself narrowing her eyes. She could not, however, fathom why. After a moment or two, the two siblings pulled apart. "What did I say about you _calling_ me that? You make it sound like we're in some sort of _gang_. I'm not a delinquent, you know!" He pulled his hood down, and then completely removed the cloak. The expressionless witch was ashamed to realize that her heart had increased its rhythm. Sarah swallowed a bit.

The older wizard was quite attractive. His dark brown hair was long and pulled back into a ponytail. Some strands framed his face, accenting his strong jaw line. Though he had long hair, he was by no means feminine. His blue eyes were striking behind those black-rimmed glasses. He wore a smile for Kylie, showing the dimple in his right cheek. His physique was just as Sarah imagine. He was built muscularly lean. It was easy to see his structure by the clothes he wore. A simple white t-shirt and faded blue jeans. Why did he even wear the cloak? It was… inappropriate attire for someone his age. Still, it did not take away from handsomeness. It was no wonder Kylie felt threatened. He was like a pile of crap attracting girls like flies… Or maybe it was honey attracting bees…? Whatever the case, it was working. The few students that were here for breakfast were slowly becoming interested.

"Anyway…!" Kylie ignored her brother's remark. "Why are you busting into windows in the first place?"

"That damn tree _threw_ me here! It seems chopping it down would be too much," he replied in a flat voice. "If I hadn't conjured this cloak off of some poor guy's back, then I could have serious injuries." Kylie giggled lightly. The wizard ruffled her hair. "Why are you making an effort to look so cute, anyway?"

"Special occasion, Justin. I haven't seen you in a long time!" Kylie pointed to her face. "I'm wearing your birthday present."

"_Haaah_—back when I thought you would have a girly-girl period. How naïve I was, _ne_?"

"You totally were, _ne_?"

The two Colman siblings shared a laugh. It was then that Sarah stood beside Kylie. Her green eyes bore into the wizard's blue ones. Justin knitted his eyebrows in confusion. This girl, although pokerfaced, was obviously showing hostility. "_Ah_… You must be Simmons," he remarked. "Thanks for taking care of my sister." The hostile aura did not go away. Justin's eyebrow twitched. "_Oi_… If you have anything to say then just _say_ it. Don't leave me in suspense."

"I don't like you," was her blunt reply.

Kylie's jaw dropped. Honestly, she hadn't expected Sarah to react like this. She believed that her friend would become one of her brother's many admirers. Brown eyes looked back and forth between her friend and brother. Their aura swirled and collided. She could have sworn she heard lightning strike. _"Oh crap!"_ she thought, biting at her thumbnail. _"Their personalities…!" _And then, the atmosphere snapped.

"Is that a mouth you should be using with me?" Justin asked. "You don't even _know_ me!"

"Impulsive, violent, reckless, idiotic—and yet you attempt to hide it," Sarah fired back in a frosty tone. She did not need to raise her voice. The impassive look remained on her face. The witch crossed her arms. "I am willing to bet that you are unreliable as well."

"If you can talk like that, why don't you step closer, Simmons?"

"If I try such a thing perhaps my face will melt from your breath, Colman?"

"You're a cheeky one, aren't you?" Justin frowned. He pushed his glasses from the bridge of his nose. The light reflected against his lens, giving the man's eyes an eerie glow. He lifted his arm, pointing his wand at the witch's face. "Care to repeat that?"

"No," Sarah answered. She reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear. Her eyes closed for a brief moment. "However, if you do not remove your wand from my face, those will be your last words, Colman."

For a moment, Justin only stared. He then smirked as he lowered his arm. The wand was returned to his pants. The wizard took one long stride toward Sarah. "You have such a bold mouth. Here, let me clean it for you." Before either witch could react to his bizarre sentence, Justin grabbed the back of Sarah's head and forced her lips to collide with his. Eyes wide, she could only stand there. Her body twitched and her eyes watered. Quickly, she was running out of air. Still, the twenty-one year old wizard did not release her. Sarah's lungs felt like they were going to explode! And then he released her. She stumbled back, eyes still wide. Justin smirked again. "Consider it punishment, Simmons. The next time you speak rubbish to me, I won't be going easy on you."

Sarah nearly vomited on the floor.

"I can't believe you still behave this way!" Kylie grumbled in annoyance as she smacked her forehead with her palm. She released a sigh. "Can't you find another way to show your anger?" Justin returned his eyes back to his sister. "Sarah doesn't know what you're like. She's still in shock… and underage!"

"Well, perhaps she won't make the mistake of being rude to a person she just met next time around," he replied, nonchalantly. "Besides, she's seventeen. She's four years my junior. And it's not like I used tongue-action."

Sarah nearly vomited again.

Justin adjusted his glasses again, letting his eyes become visible. "It's been awhile since I've seen you," he said. "I heard from mom that you stayed here for Christmas, so you didn't get a present." His sibling nodded. The man lightly patted her head. "So I've decided to get you something that will make you happy."

"Something that would make me happy…?" Kylie looked thoughtful. She suddenly smiled. "A lifetime's supply of hamburgers?" Her head was patted again.

"No, this is better. I'm taking you to… the Land of the Rising Sun." The witch gasped dramatically as her eyes widened. "That's right. I have connections in Chiba, Japan. We can go as soon as you're ready." Kylie actually jumped on her brother, wrapping her arms around his neck. She laughed in glee. Justin smiled lightly and rubbed his sister's back. "Alright, alright, get off me now." As she was told, the Ravenclaw released him.

"Can we go now?" Kylie asked.

"Of course. We'll travel by port key," Justin replied. Kylie's pout only lasted for a moment. "Packing is not necessary as we will only stay for the day."

"Just a moment," Sarah said. The two siblings turned to the witch. Finally, it seemed as though her composure had returned. "I will come as well. I can't have Kylie going off with someone I have come to despise. I am fluent in that language as well, so getting around shouldn't be a problem." Her friend frowned and shifted uneasily. However, the brother only smirked. This did not bode well for Sarah. Nevertheless, she would go. "Also, aren't you forgetting someone?" Her eyes went to Kylie. "Someone you would like your brother to meet?" Predictably, the brown-eyed witch made a face. "You are the one who proposed this deal."

"Right, right…" Kylie muttered. She turned to her confused looking brother. "You have to meet someone, and if it's possible, he should come with us."

"_He_…?" Justin's eyebrow twitched.

"_Uh_…" Kylie scratched the back of her neck. "Let me go get him, and _then_ I'll explain." She chuckled nervously, and then dashed away. "I'll be back!"

Justin narrowed his eyes as he watched her go. This person was male. This was the first time that his younger sister ever mentioned a male to him. This person must be the Veela dad had mentioned. Destiny or not, no man was good enough to win his sister's heart. If this guy could somehow do such a thing, then he would ultimately allow a relationship to form. But until then... _"I'll just have to see what happens," _he thought. His blue eyes shifted to witch, whom was left behind. She had already returned to her seat. This girl was his sister's best friend. He smirked. Indeed, this would be an entertaining trip. As if feeling his eyes on her, Sarah Simmons turned to him. She frowned. "So… How _you_ doing?"

Justin had to dodge several stray knives.

0-0

A light shaking succeeded in waking the sleeping teen. Groaning, he rubbed at his eyes and sat up. It was the weekend, right? It wasn't like his roommate to wake him up so early. She, herself, wouldn't be up so early. Draco sat up and opened his eyes. To his astonishment, Kylie was sitting on the edge of the bed, giving him an annoyed look. "Do you know how tough it is to wake you?" she asked. "Never mind, though. My brother is here to meet you, so I suggest you get up now." She seemed completely serious. The next day had come all too quickly. So her elder brother had already shown his face? "I'll wait outside until you're ready." Kylie moved to stand.

Swiftly, her wrist was grabbed, halting her movement. She stared back at him. "Your brother… Are you really giving him the sole power of deciding our relationship?" Without so much as a second to think about it, Kylie nodded her head. Subconsciously, Draco's grip on her wrist increased. "We don't need him. I can make you love me by myself." Her look of annoyance had disappeared, and in its place was an expression of indifference.

"No, you can't." Her sentence was like a statement—an unwavering fact. Again his grip increased. "Hey, you're hurting me!" Suddenly, he was hovering over her. Her arms were pinned over her head. She stared up at him, eyes wide. Draco was practically snarling. "What are you doing? Get off!"

"No!" he growled. Kylie froze underneath him. "How long will you continue to hurt me? How far will you go until I completely _snap_?"

"You're _hurting_ me!"

Draco loosened his hold on her, but he did not completely release her. His skin burned now, but it wasn't unpleasant. He rather enjoyed the feeling that threatened to overwhelm him. Kylie finally jumped from her frozen state of shock. She turned to escape. However, that was not going to fly. Her wiggling underneath him caused shocks to course through is body. She was making it harder to control himself. The pit of his stomach rumbled, yearning. A cross between a gasp and a moan erupted from his mouth. This stilled the girl beneath him. But it was too late. He wanted her. He wanted her _now_.

The Slytherin lowered himself, covering her body. His nose rubbed against her cheek. Kylie sucked in a breath of air. Draco breathed in as well, inhaling her scent. This felt so _good_. He dipped his head a bit, sliding his lips against her jaw line. His tongue slithered out, touching her chin. "Draco…!" his intended _whimpered_ his name. It drove him wild. Hastily, his lips pressed against hers. The euphoric feeling swelled dramatically. It had been better than the first kiss they shared. His mouth felt hot. She tried to move her head, yet Draco followed. He released her arms in favor of touching her neck. His thumbs pressed against her chin and caressed her jaw.

She reached to grab his wrists. Her touch was fairly gentle. She had become subdued by his advances. Good… His hands slipped down slowly to her chest. Her lips parted in a gasp, allowing his tongue to enter. As soon as their tongues met, an explosion of energy filled his core. It was like an electric spark danced on the tip of his tongue. It prompted him to increase the intensity. His fingers rubbed and teased her, enjoying the moans that managed to come from her occupied mouth. Subconsciously, his hips gyrated against hers, coaxing her to do the same. For a moment, he pulled back, permitting them both the chance to breathe.

He took this chance to examine his intended. Her cheeks were flushed. A light sheen of sweat covered her skin. She looked exhausted. She looked beautiful. Draco ran his hands through her hair. Her back arched in response. He panted lightly as her fingers touched his bare chest. She didn't try to push him again. She merely touched. The Slytherin swallowed, realizing that he was sweating as well. Finally, her brown eyes were revealed; they seemed to be glassy. Draco cupped her cheeks. His parted lips only rubbed against hers a few times. Hesitantly her tongue peeked out. And he happily obliged, drowning in her flavor. However, he was suddenly pushed away. "Draco…!"

He was jerked from his dream by a harsh slap to the face.

Shocked and disappointed, he touched his abused cheek. Collecting himself, he realized that it had been Kylie to smack him. He also realized that she was on top of him, straddling his stomach. Sure, the sheet separated them, but it was very thin. Why was she on top of him! She crossed her arms, looking highly annoyed. "Do you know how tough it is to wake you?" she asked. Bemused, Draco shook his head. Thank Salazar she wasn't sitting any lower. "My brother is here, so I want you to meet him now."

It was then that he noticed her appearance. It was more… enhanced. Her brown eyes seemed deeper because of green eye shadow and the dark mascara. Without realizing it, his hand reached up. She flinched when his hand touched her cheek. As if becoming conscious her position, Kylie sprang away. Her soft cheeks flushed in embarrassment. Draco sighed in disappointment. "I'll get dressed quickly."

"H-Hai…!" She sharply turned away. "I'll let you do that." With her shoulders tensed, she began to walk away.

"Wait…!" He moved from the bed. He stood directly behind her, hoping she wouldn't turn around. "Does your brother… solely have the power to decide where our relationship goes?"

"What? Of course not," Kylie answered. It was more like a sputter. "I'm not foolish enough to depend on only one person… unless it's myself, of course."

"Naturally," Draco chuckled.

"Well, I'll be waiting outside, so hurry." Kylie quickly headed for the door. Once she was safe from his gaze, she grabbed at her cheek and pinched. Damn, it was still hot. Her roommate's touched felt as though it burned. Also, what was up with her actions? She had seen him sleeping. He had been making these weird faces. At one point, Kylie was sure he had groaned. He must've been having some kind of nightmare. The witched stopped walking. She now stood in their common room. A hand covered her rapidly beating heart.

When she had seen his sleeping face, she felt something inside her just click—like a switch had been turned on. Kylie frowned and closed her eyes. _"Yes, I know he's attractive now, but that doesn't mean I have to lose myself like other hormonal girls,"_ she thought. For a moment, she had completely stopped thinking and had just reacted. That thought alone sent a chill down her spine. _"You are Kylie Colman! You are not like the rest of them! As Kylie Colman, you will not give into the temptation that is-"_ An image of a topless Draco Malfoy appeared in her mind. Her eyes shot open, blush staining her cheeks. _"I will not!"_ she told herself. She repeated this mantra several times, trying to wipe the image away.

The witch didn't know how long she did this, but it didn't work. A hand suddenly clamped down on her shoulder. She jumped and whirled around. "Why are you so jumpy?" Kylie shook her head at his question. He had snuck up on her—the prat. She sniffed lightly at his appearance. Black pants and a dark green shirt is what he wore. His hair was still a little damp. There was a smirk on his face.

"I'm not jumpy," she murmured. "And are you going to dry your hair?"

"Of course."

"Well then… Let's go. My brother's waiting to take us somewhere special."

0-0

By the time the witch and wizard arrived in the Great Hall, more students had appeared. To Kylie's chagrin, there was a crowd around her brother. She knew it was her brother because he was taller than the girls that surrounded him. Grumbling to herself, she left Draco behind in favor of stomping over to the group. Sarah sat to the side, ignoring the pack of girls. Kylie pushed her way through until she stood by her brother. Her eye twitched in irritation. Who did she find holding onto her brother's right arm? Of course it was her rival, Cho Chang. The girl's eyes stared at Kylie in surprise. "Colman…? Finally put makeup on, _eh_? You look better," she said. Talk about _rude_!

Kylie's hands clenched at her sides. "Cho-chan, I would appreciate you removing your hands from this person."

"Do you honestly think I'd listen to you?" Cho asked with a smirk. The witch squeezed her brother's arm. "But I'm surprised. I didn't think you were interested in the male species." Her big beautiful eyes gazed up at Justin, who grinned back. "Justin was just telling us about his battle with a troll!" The other girls, composed of all four houses, nodded their hands in agreement. Their giggling and chattering was so maddening. It was like this everywhere! Well, maybe that was a bit of an overstatement, but it was still infuriating.

The witch almost growled as she took a hold of her brother's left arm. She pulled at him, bringing Cho's attention back to her. The other girls looked on in curiosity. "Get your unworthy hands off my brother before I attempt to _hex_ you!" Kylie hissed through clenched teeth. Eyes widening, Cho actually did as she was told. The reason for this was because Kylie wasn't the best at magic. Whenever she attempted a spell, it would end up blowing up in everyone's faces. Hence why many of the Ravenclaw witches backed a few inches away.

"He's _your_ brother?" Cho asked incredulous. She looked back and forth between the siblings. There was a slight similarity between them. The popular witched back away again. "I can't believe it."

"It's true. My name is Justin Colman." With his free hand, he adjusted his glasses. "And I don't appreciate the tone you're using with my beloved sister." A chill swept through the air. "I'd advise you not to do that in the future." A look of pure terror crossed Cho's face. A cold sweat formed above her brow. Who was this person that made her feel hot and cold at the same time? It was like her skin wanted to run away from such a person. He was dangerous. That glare could kill if it were possible. Stiffly, the witch nodded her head, and then dashed away. Others were quick to follow her explain.

Kylie watched the crowd disperse with a satisfied nod. _"Serves them right!"_ she thought. Her brown eyes looked up at her precious sibling. She smiled widely. He was in the middle of fixing his glasses again. This was what made him cool. He was protective and strong, friendly, and intelligent. His streak of protectiveness for her was fueled by suppressed aggressive tendencies. It was something he picked up from Debra Colman, the mother of the two siblings. "Aniki!" Justin looked down at her. Kylie led him towards where Sarah sat. Draco had walked over to make small conversation with her best friend. She gestured to him. "This is Draco, son of Lucius Malfoy."

"A pleasure to meet you," the Slytherin lowered his head in greeting.

A Malfoy was the Veela? Justin's eye twitched behind his glasses. He was expecting a nice boy who had the potential of loving his sister, not someone who didn't have a choice in the matter. If he was anything like his other family members, then his sister would not be happy with him. Once he had Kylie, there was a high chance he would just use her to quell his Veela urges. The thought of his sister being used in that way—with no love involved—caused Justin's blood to boil. He held out his hand. "Nice to meet you as well," he said. The boy met his handshake.

To his surprise, the young wizard felt his hand being squeezed in a painful way. His eyes narrowed as they locked with Kylie's older brother. A protective one, was he? It would seem as though this man in front of him had already formed an assumption. He did well, covering his enmity, but Draco had seen it flash. A tight frown made its way onto his face. He wasn't very well going to be intimidated by this man. To show his opposition, he returned the aggressive hand shake. "I've heard little about you, Colman. I do hope we get along for Kylie's sake." The older wizard's lip moved as if suppressing a snarl.

"Yes," Justin replied, not tearing his glare away. _"First name basis?"_ he shouted in thought.

"Well, now that first impressions are outta the way, can we _go_ now?" Kylie interrupted the fiercest battle of heated stares because she didn't read the atmosphere. "I'm going to try lots of Japanese food!" Her grin succeeded in breaking the tense mood.

"_Wait… Japanese food?"_ Draco stared at his roommate. _"We're going to a different bloody country?"_

0-0

Kylie swallowed hard, forcing back the feeling of nausea. Traveling by Port key was not fun. And why was she the only one to land on her back? Sarah helped her to stand. Quickly, she dusted herself off, and then looked around. The group of four had landed in a vast grassy field. "So… This is Japan?" The witch breathed in through her nose, and then smiled. It even smelt different. She turned her brown eyes to her brother. "So what are we going to do first?"

"First we have to meet my friend. He will be our translator," Justin answered. "So, we'll need to walk to his place. It's a couple of miles away from here, so I suggest we start walking." Although, the thought of physical labor was not her idea of a fun time, simply being in Japan made her excited.

"_Yatta_! Let's go!" Kylie shouted, raising a fist.

Nearly an hour later, Kylie wanted to pass out. Her brother and best friend were fast walkers, so she had tried desperately to keep up with them. It was a horrible mistake. Her body could not handle the physical stress that she had placed on it. The witched stopped again and hunched over, resting her hands on her knees. Her heart screamed at her to collapse. Kylie had never been athletic—never. She hadn't even bothered to compete with Cho Chang in that department. Rowena help her if she ever had to run away from a dangerous creature. Surely, she would end up dead.

Luckily, the weather was cool. Any hotter and she would have given up. A shadow loomed over her. It was Draco Malfoy. Every time she would stop, he would stop as well. He merely stood by her side, choosing not to comment on her lack of endurance. He would wait until she recovered somewhat before urging her forward by lightly touching her elbow. Kylie did not know how fast Draco walked, but he was willing to slow his normal pace for her. It was a kind act. Finally, the witch lifted her head, and then straightened her back. She continued to move forward. At least she could see civilization up ahead. _"I really, really hope there's food at this friend's house," _she thought.

Suddenly, her brother stopped, causing everyone else to do the same. He took out his wand and pointed it ahead of him. The tip of the wand glowed red, and then before the teens very eyes, a structure was revealed. "_Uwaa_…!" Kylie's gaze lifted. This building was tall. Obviously it was magical. The two dragons that surrounded the house were trembling. A few scales were shook off periodically. The front gate was made of iron painted with silver. The iron opening was then split down the middle, allowing entrance. Kylie moved to stand by her brother's side.

"Right then," Justin muttered. He stepped forward, prompting the others to follow him. "You should be as polite as you can." He knocked on the door. "You wouldn't want to turn into a hideous creature, would you?" Before any of the three could retort, the door swung open. "Mata oai dekite ureshii desu!" Justin tiled his body at an angle. Behind him, Kylie fidgeted. She knew some Japanese, but what her brother had said completely went over her head. She glanced at her best friend out of the corner of her eye. She was stoic as usually, so she couldn't really gauge whether or not Sarah knew.

She peeked from behind her brother. There was a man standing in the doorway. He wore a grin. He had dark, short hair, which was spiked up using gel. His eyes seemed to be of a very light brown color. Only one dimple was visible on his left cheek. "Juu-chan…!" Out of nowhere, the man latched onto her brother in a fierce hug. Justin returned the embrace with a smile of his own. "I was not expecting you this early!" His accent was heavy, but understandable. "How do you do?"

"I'm fine." The two released each other. Justin stepped aside, allowing his friend to see the rest of his entourage. "This is my sister, Kylie." The young witch flinched before stiffly bowing.

"Haji… Hajimemashite!" she stuttered out. She felt really nervous in the presence of a real Japanese man. She must've sounded foolish. However, the man laughed.

"Juu-chan has told me much about you," he replied. "It's nice to meet you. My name is Akira."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Akira," Sarah was the one to reply. The man looked her way. "You are a wizard?" Her green eyes narrowed. "A descendant?" Akira nodded. "Is everyone in your family-"

"Don't be rude, Sarah!" Kylie hissed. "We haven't even gotten pass the front door."

"Pardon me," the expressionless teen lowered her head slightly.

"Anyway, Sarah is my best friend," Kylie continued. "She and Draco are kinda last minute guests."

"I hope that is alright with you, Akira?" Justin asked.

"It's fine. We will not be here the majority of the time." Akira's grin was a bit infectious. Kylie mirrored his expression perfectly. "So then… Shall we head out?"

0-0

This was bad—really bad.

Somehow he had managed to lose sight of Kylie. Actually, he had lost all three of the teenagers. He had only looked away for a moment. Akira had wanted to show him a festival game. Intrigued by the catching fish game, he focused only on the small fish. It was probably only a moment, though. She couldn't have gotten far. "You should calm down," Akira told him. He had noticed the apprehensive look on Justin's face. "Your sister is safe over there with her friends." Once again, Akira managed to catch the fish before his net broke. "_Heh_, five in a row!" Justin turned his eyes. A few booths down, the three Hogwarts students were playing some kind of dart game. Mentally, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Actually, this was perfect. He had spent about two hours with Kylie. Both of the siblings had ignored everyone else in favor of each other. Now, they were separated, meaning Justin could… observe his sister's behavior and interactions without any of them knowing. "Thanks for doing this for me, Akira, I owe you one," he patted his friend's shoulder. Truth be told, he had wanted this from the beginning. As soon as his father told him of Kylie's fate with a Veela, Justin had begun forming this plan. Akira glanced back at him.

"If you really want to repay me, how about giving me a picture of that sexy mom of yours?" he asked. Justin shifted his glasses, causing Akira to grimace. "It was a _joke_!"

Scoffing, Justin readjusted his glasses. "I'll meet you back at your place in a few," he stated. "Make sure you don't pick up any women. I don't want these impressionable teenagers being tainted by your lustful ways." Akira made a noise of disappointment. Shaking his head, Justin walked away from his friend. It was time for some good old fashion stealth.

Meanwhile, with the students, Kylie was gushing over the fact that her friend was winning. The object of the game was to pop all of the balloons with a dart to win a prize. Draco had failed miserably, which is why he was sulking. The balloons just wouldn't pop for him. The sharp darts would just bounce right off. Sarah took over and became a beast. She only had to pop three more balloons for the prize of a stuffed animal. "This is wasting time," Sarah murmured. Kylie looked confused. She became more perplexed with her friend began talking to the game booth owner. They exchanged dialogue for a time before the man gave her three darts. "I'll win you a prize right now." The darts were placed in between her fingers. She held them against her face for a moment before flinging them. They hit their targets. The balloons exploded loudly, drawing attention.

Kylie stared in amazement, and then cheered. "Sarah! That was _awesome_!" The stoic witch turned to her friend. She then gave a tiny smile. "What did you win?" Sarah turned her attention back to the sheepish looking game owner. He handed the older witch a small bag equipped with one small fish. She accepted the prize with a bow.

"You shouldn't get excited all by yourself," Draco muttered.

Kylie frowned at his words. "Just because you're not on the same level as Sarah, doesn't mean you can deflate my enthusiasm." The day was half over. She had had so much fun. Actually, this was the first time since coming to this country that Kylie had let a frown grace her expression. There was so much to do with so much to see! She would have loved to see it all. However, time would be running out soon. The group would have to return to Hogwarts eventually.

This festival was in celebration of the blooming of the Cherry Blossoms. Around two thousand trees were beginning to bloom today. By the time night came, it would be a spectacular sight to behold. The shine from the full moon gave the pink petals an otherworldly glow, according to the pamphlet Sarah had read. Until then, it was all fun and games. There was no doubt about it. Today is going to be the best time of her _life_. Kylie grabbed Sarah's free hand and walked away from the game stop. Draco's attitude was not going to ruin it for her. "Let's see what else we can do!" she exclaimed in glee.

Kylie tried her hardest to see every aspect of the festival. It appeared, though, the other two let her have all the fun. They hung back as the witch played—and lost—many festival games. It didn't matter, though. As long as she had fun—that was all that matter to the two. Kylie was currently devouring her cherry-flavored cotton candy. In her other hand there was three sticks of half eaten dango. Those food items hadn't been the only things she had tried either. The money her brother had given was almost all gone because the food was too delicious looking to pass up. Strapped around her head was a string, which connected to the plastic dog mask resting diagonally on the side of her head. She donned necklaces and bracelets, too.

By the time it appeared as though her energy began to diminish, the sun was beginning to set. The stalls of the festival were beginning to put up lanterns. Pretty soon, they would be lit, leading crowds to where they can watch the trees under the moonlight. "Kylie," Sarah called. The witch turned her head, mid bite. "We should start heading for the site now."

"But I wanted to do one more thing!"

"Do you even know what they one more thing is?"

"… no."

"Then we're going," Sarah responded. She fell into step with her friend, giving a backwards glance to Draco Malfoy. He had been oddly quiet this whole time. She supposed she had been a _little_ mean to him. Sarah hadn't given him any chances to make headway with Kylie. Every time either of them played a game, she murmured a little spell to mess him up. Her best had outright told him that he 'was lame.' Ever since then, he had been glowering at the ground. At this rate, he would never impress her. Now Sarah didn't feel guilty. However, she did state that she wouldn't hinder Draco's plans for her best friend. So it was only right for her to help to cancel out her hindrance.

From his position, Justin narrowed his eyes. Suddenly, the group had switched directions after a few words from Sarah Simmons. _"That girl…"_ he thought. Still, he decided to stay put to observe a little more.

Sarah's intention was to stop by another game stall. However, Kylie made an interjection. Mentally shrugging, the witch turned her gaze to whatever her friend was staring at. She blinked, not at all surprised. The characters above the large stall read food eating competition. The only reason Kylie had pointed to it was because of the food lined down the table. Quickly, she explained this to the younger witch. Sarah was sure that sparkles had replaced her friend's eyes.

"Really? I can eat all this for _free_ and win a kimono? Where do I sign up?"

"…"

"Perhaps that isn't the best option," Draco finally spoke. "You've eaten so much already."

"The prize is a kimono…" Kylie stated. "I am _going_ to participate _and_ win." The determined witch suddenly clutched her stomach and squeezed her eyes shut. "On second thought, I think I ate too much already…" Nevertheless, she stepped toward the booth. "I really, really want a kimono, though. I don't even care what it looks like. I'll endure the pain now and feel bad late-" Draco put a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look back. "What? You're trying to stop me?"

"Of course. Eating so much is not healthy… no matter how much of a glutton you are," he answered. Of course, Kylie was not offended in the least. "I will participate." He looked queasy just thinking of the copious amounts of foreign food he would have to consume.

"But… you'll lose," was her blunt reply.

Before Draco could react, he was dragged away by Sarah. It still hurt, though. Moments later, he found himself in the middle of the competition. His intended's best friend had swiftly gotten him involved. She moved like lightning. The young Malfoy examined his opposition. He had believed that there would be only females participating. However, every contestant was male. Either the lots of them were cross dressers or they were doing this for a significant other. Grey eyes stared at the large plate in front of him. The food was stacked on. _"This could be my end," _he thought.

"_This could be his end,"_ Sarah thought. She actually pitied him. That didn't happen too often. Once the signal was given—a horn—Draco at a quick pace started eating. The sight was more than a little disgusting… and yet she couldn't look away. She watched him for minutes, stuffing yakitori and dango in his mouth. Her stomach was beginning to feel upset. She could only imagine what it was like for someone who was going through that._ "Even Kylie must-" _Sarah's green eyes turned to her best friend. However, the reaction she was expecting from Kylie was not the case. The younger witch was clearly fascinated, and not by the food. Her gaze was completely focused on Draco. In her eyes, there was amazement and admiration. _"I have no words…"_ Sarah shook her head a bit.

The longer she stared, the more handsome her roommate became. Kylie blinked once, thinking it was some trick of the setting sun's light. No, it couldn't be. "How come I didn't notice before?" she thought, unable to tear her eyes away. _"He has such a… great mouth."_ Her heartbeat felt like it increased. _"I want to…"_ This time, it felt as though it had stopped. _"I really want to…"_ Kylie grimaced as her hand grabbed a handful of her shirt. Her chest _ached_. Sweat formed and her cheeks became flushed. Her insides felt like they were trembling. This incredibly hot state of her body overwhelmed her. Merlin, what was this _feeling_? _"I really want to share food with him!"_

A sharp gasp escaped her mouth. That was the first—the _very first_ time she had thought something like that. She had never once thought of sharing food with her own brother. Why? Why was Draco so special? Was he more special than Justin? Kylie shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut. Still, she couldn't get the image of Draco eating out of her mind. Unaware of her darkening blush, the witch slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze was on the ground beneath her. _"Calm down,"_ she told herself. _"That was merely a fleeting thought. When you look back up, he would look the same as he did."_ Slowly, her brown eyes returned to the teen Slytherin. There was barbeque running down his chin. Kylie just about fainted right there. _"What a magnificent jaw and chin!"_

After another five minutes passed, the competition came to a close. Many of the contestants hurled their meals back up. Draco, however, was not one of them. He had somehow managed to keep the food down. Still, he had not been the winner. He had only succeeded in gaining second place. Sighing, he walked back over to Kylie and Sarah. It was embarrassing to return empty handed. Well, not completely empty handed. For second place, he received recipe books. "I apologize," Draco murmured. This was not his day. Since the beginning things were quite unlucky for him. He held out the three books. "Will you accept this instead?" Immediately, and surprisingly, the books were snatched from his hands.

"Draco, that was amazing!" Kylie actually gave a genuine smile. The confused wizard could only blink.

"But… I lost."

"That doesn't _matter_!" The books were tightly held against her chest. The younger witch stepped forward. Her unoccupied arm wrapped around him in a hug. Draco's eyes widen considerably. "Thank you for winning me this." She then released him. Just for a brief moment, they stared into one another's eyes. Then Kylie dashed away, exclaiming about cherry blossom. Inside, however, she was screaming in joy._ "He smelled just like Mitarashi dango!" _she thought.

0-0

Justin could not say he was happy with this development. His sister and that boy seemed to have gotten closer since the food competition. His fist clenched at his sides. It had been about fifteen minutes since the sun completely set. And twenty minutes since the viewing of the cherry blossoms began. The atmosphere was quite hard to break. His sister and that boy were sitting side by side, watching the falling of the petals. Occasionally though, they would _steal_ glances at each other.

The worst part was that Sarah Simmons, the witch who had been blocking the boy's advances all day, sat idly by and let the cozy mood continue. Justin chewed on his hair, something he did when really irritated. Something like this did not bode well. Actually, perhaps this wasn't all that bad. The older wizard crossed his eyes as his blue eyes stared at Draco Malfoy. His first impression of the boy had been negative. He had assumed he cared nothing for his sister. It wasn't true. He had been sincerely upset that he couldn't win Kylie that kimono. Also, he had felt happiness when she hugged him.

"_Still, can it really be love at this stage?"_ The man pressed his side against a nearby tree. _"Veela and its mate can be a tricky situation."_ Justin sighed out. His mother's words echoed in his head. Fate or not, there was something about it that he like it. "It's probably just my brotherly instincts. No one is good enough for his little sister. With a resolved nod, Justin made his way over to the group of three. He squeezed and sat down between Kylie and Draco. "Sorry I'm late," he said, ignoring the glare that was being focused on him. "Akira wanted to play a life-threatening game."

"Did you win, aniki?" Kylie asked, making room for him.

"Sure did," Justin replied, smugly.

"Yeah, my brother's great at everything!" The witch smiled brightly. The older sibling fondly patted his sister's head. "Sarah said the fireworks are starting soon!"

"Yes. It's not a festival without those," the passive witch remarked. Her green eyes glanced at Justin out of the corner of her eye. Then she focused on Kylie. Despite the smile, her finger twitched—a sure sign of irritation. This was something no one else knew about Kylie. Apparently, not even the brother realized it. The older witch smirked a bit before standing.

Best friend, 500. Big brother, 428.

"Sarah, where are you going?" Kylie asked.

"Ah, I have to… relieve myself."

"Could you _not_ phrase it like that?"

"Malfoy, please follow me." For her words, she received two perplexed looks. Kylie bit her bottom lip and asked why. "I do not want to travel with myself. I'm afraid." Kylie wasn't the only one to twitch.

"_It's everyone else who should be afraid!"_

Unaware that that his thought was in unison with Kylie, Draco stood. "Very well,"  
he hesitantly replied. The two went off, leaving brother and sister alone. After a few moments, Justin cleared his throat. Kylie knew from experience that he had something serious to say.

"I'm just going to jump straight to the point," he said. "I do not like the relationship you have with Malfoy."

"What? _Why_?" was her almost hysterical response. Justin sharply turned his head to his sister. This was too weird. Kylie had seemed to become attached in mere minutes!

"What do you mean why?" he asked. "Do you like him?"

"…" She blushed. "Don't be silly. I only think he's phat, that's all."

"What?"

"Pretty, hot, and-"

"I _know_ what you meant!" Justin adjusted his glasses for a moment. "Why are—so you're attracted to him?"

"Very much so, dear brother." Kylie stared at her raised knees. Her eyelids lowered. "It's gotten so bad that… I want to share food with him." Justin's eye twitched. He almost despised his sister's blunt manner. If she thought something was a fact, she would state it, no matter what the situation, as if were no big deal. "I wonder… if I could like him."

"No!"

"Probably not since it's just physical attraction…" Ignoring that outburst from her brother, Kylie closed her eyes. "Sarah told me that Draco has been pulled in by me, but I don't know how to respond. Should I give him a chance?" She curled her body, burying her face in her thighs and wrapping her arms under her legs. "I don't know what to do."

"Kylie, if it's just physical attraction then that type of relationship won't go anywhere." Justin crossed his arms and nodded in head in a determined way. "You should just brush him aside. Besides, you're much too young to be thinking about romantic relationships."

"That's not true. In fact, sixteen is the age where romantic relationships become the top priority in a girl's life."

"Don't be a smartass."

Kylie lifted her head and sighed. "Do you not approve of Draco?" she asked. Justin vehemently shook his head. "I guess that means I have to erase that kiss him gave me then."

"KISS?" Justin's shout drew unwanted attention, as well as judgmental stares. "He _kissed_ you?"

"Yes."

"I will _end_ him."

"You know that's against the law."

0-0

Well, I got pretty annoyed with this chapter, so I'm going to post it now, and finish the "sibling reunion" in the next chapter. Review please?


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